Apple do not authorise repairs on iPhones!

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › Apple do not authorise repairs on iPhones!

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2078 posts

Uber Geek

#415581 10-Dec-2010 15:06

myopinion: I have a contact at Apple who I purchased all the iPhones from. Shall I send the "quote" from Mobilefone Repair and get his response?

OMG. You have an actual person at Apple who you bought them from who actually knows who you are.

Of course you should send them the quote and when they finish laughing ask them how you get the problem fixed at a reasonable cost.

myopinion

938 posts

Ultimate Geek

#415590 10-Dec-2010 15:16

Sent. Will be interesting to see what comes of this.

exportgoldman

1202 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#415605 10-Dec-2010 15:35

mattwnz:
exportgoldman:

The industry standard is that batteries are classified as consumables, so are only warranted for 12 months, this is standard on Lenovo, HP, Sony laptops etc.

I believe that would apply for batteries which can be easily removed from the device, where the consumer can just buy a new battery and replace it themselves. Thus the battery is a consumable. However when the battery is inbuilt into the device, and it is not able to be removed by the consumer, I wouldn't consider it to be a consumable. Thus I would expect it to be designed to last the life of the device, but it is more of a grey area. I would be interested to hear how you get on.

Actually I meant to make this exact point, but was being rushed out the door. From memory the iPhone 3G battery is fixed to the board so it's not exactly user replaceable.

I'm not sure about the 3GS or 4G.

One of the guesses why Apple batteries are not removable is that the additional packaging around the battery is then not required and the batteries can be made twice as big.

Tyler - Parnell Geek - iPhone 3G - Lenovo X301 - Kaseya - Great Western Steak House, these are some of my favourite things.

booleanvalue

27 posts

Geek

#415753 11-Dec-2010 01:43

Very interesting indeed as a test case for the rest of us.

Seems like a case of wanting to have their cake and eat it. I doubt a non-user replaceable battery could be classed as a consumable. Not offering a way to change it seems like a rort to me, be interesting to see how consumer guarantees et all see it.

Keep us posted

ekud

263 posts

Ultimate Geek

#415787 11-Dec-2010 09:47

Am also very interested in response, My 3g battery life is a joke been contemplating buying a battery of TM and try replace it myself, My 3g wifi has also died (says no wifi) and this has been since i upgraded to iOS4 device had never been jailbroken dropped or anything, Looks like the only fix for this is reflowing the mother board :O

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Kyanar

4089 posts

Uber Geek

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#416164 12-Dec-2010 14:55

booleanvalue: Very interesting indeed as a test case for the rest of us.

Seems like a case of wanting to have their cake and eat it. I doubt a non-user replaceable battery could be classed as a consumable. Not offering a way to change it seems like a rort to me, be interesting to see how consumer guarantees et all see it.

Keep us posted

Consumer Guarantees Act does not apply in this specific instance - he mentioned that he bought them for work, and business purposes are explicitly excluded from the Act.

booleanvalue

27 posts

Geek

#416315 13-Dec-2010 00:18

I hadn't noticed it was for work purposes. Its always such a peculiar clause that businesses purchases don't apply, - as if for some reason a product behaves differently depending on its use.

I can understand commercial use, where the product is used in a different way for the likes of machinery where operation time affects longevity, but electronics, clothing etc ...

Still, better than nothing of course, - just not in this case.

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wreck90

780 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#416343 13-Dec-2010 07:24

I had a fault in my 3 year old ipod - hard drive crash- Apple replaced it for free when i told them I will go to the disputes tribunal.

Doesn't always work - I'm currently going through the disputes tribunal with Noel Leeming when they refused to fix something.

myopinion

938 posts

Ultimate Geek

#417452 15-Dec-2010 09:00

Well here's the outcome to this little saga:

As said before Mobilefone Repair wanted to sell me a replacement iPhone 3G for $500. I declined their kind offer then called Apple again on the AppleCare Advisors Team on international Toll Free number on 00800-7666-7666.

Jo said that there was a note on our account that gives us free repairs on all of our iPhones even after 12 months. I found this strange but wonderful given that we hadn't purchased an extended warranty. Jo called it an Apple CS code note. He told me that Mobilefone Repair should have seen this on my account.

So I called MFR back and told them what Jo told me. They said they needed an email from Apple etc etc and would get back to me next week. I never heard back from them but a brand new (refirbished) iPhone 3G is now on my desk replaced for free :)

Does anyone know what this Apple CS thing is? Maybe for customers who buy over a certain number of iPhones they get looked after better? We have 25 in NZ and 5 in Aus.

1eStar

1604 posts

Uber Geek

#417912 16-Dec-2010 01:22

I rang the international apple number the day before my 12month warranty ran out. They told me to return it to MFR and gave me a case number. MFR called me and told me I needed a CS number. Which I duly got from apple international, which then I relayed to MFR. And a couple of days later a refurb phone turned up. My fault was a cracked housing. I can't tell you what CS stands for, but it got me a new phone. I only own 1!

booleanvalue

27 posts

Geek

#417914 16-Dec-2010 01:31

Thats a nice happy ending, good for you!

Tiny little bit of cynical me is thinking: well thats one way for them to get rid of our refurbed 3G's and not have to fork over replacement current models.

But hush! :) You're up and running again.

josephhinvest

1543 posts

Uber Geek

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#425378 9-Jan-2011 08:43

myopinion: Well here's the outcome to this little saga:

As said before Mobilefone Repair wanted to sell me a replacement iPhone 3G for $500. I declined their kind offer then called Apple again on the AppleCare Advisors Team on international Toll Free number on 00800-7666-7666.

Jo said that there was a note on our account that gives us free repairs on all of our iPhones even after 12 months. I found this strange but wonderful given that we hadn't purchased an extended warranty. Jo called it an Apple CS code note. He told me that Mobilefone Repair should have seen this on my account.

So I called MFR back and told them what Jo told me. They said they needed an email from Apple etc etc and would get back to me next week. I never heard back from them but a brand new (refirbished) iPhone 3G is now on my desk replaced for free :)

Does anyone know what this Apple CS thing is? Maybe for customers who buy over a certain number of iPhones they get looked after better? We have 25 in NZ and 5 in Aus.

CS stands for Customer Satisfaction. It is a code generated by Apple, usually by Customer Relations.
A CS code allows an AASP, Apple Authorised Service Provided, to perform a repair under warranty.
These are normally issued if the warranty has just expired, so a repair can be performed with no charge to customer.
Sometimes will be issued if a customer has had the same issue several times.
CS coverage normally just allows for a warranty-like repair, not a whole replacement of a Mac, for example.
But as iPhones are usually whole unit replacements, you get a new one (refurb, or brand-new, usually you cant tell the difference).

Cheers,
Joseph

codyc1515

1598 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#425424 9-Jan-2011 13:47

jofizz:
myopinion: Well here's the outcome to this little saga:

As said before Mobilefone Repair wanted to sell me a replacement iPhone 3G for $500. I declined their kind offer then called Apple again on the AppleCare Advisors Team on international Toll Free number on 00800-7666-7666.

Jo said that there was a note on our account that gives us free repairs on all of our iPhones even after 12 months. I found this strange but wonderful given that we hadn't purchased an extended warranty. Jo called it an Apple CS code note. He told me that Mobilefone Repair should have seen this on my account.

So I called MFR back and told them what Jo told me. They said they needed an email from Apple etc etc and would get back to me next week. I never heard back from them but a brand new (refirbished) iPhone 3G is now on my desk replaced for free :)

Does anyone know what this Apple CS thing is? Maybe for customers who buy over a certain number of iPhones they get looked after better? We have 25 in NZ and 5 in Aus.

CS stands for Customer Satisfaction. It is a code generated by Apple, usually by Customer Relations.
A CS code allows an AASP, Apple Authorised Service Provided, to perform a repair under warranty.
These are normally issued if the warranty has just expired, so a repair can be performed with no charge to customer.
Sometimes will be issued if a customer has had the same issue several times.
CS coverage normally just allows for a warranty-like repair, not a whole replacement of a Mac, for example.
But as iPhones are usually whole unit replacements, you get a new one (refurb, or brand-new, usually you cant tell the difference).

Cheers,
Joseph

Thanks for the clarification Joseph!

zaptor

745 posts

Ultimate Geek

#425972 11-Jan-2011 01:06

FYI, the battery is covered under warranty.

AppleCare's extended warranty covers the battery, but it must fall below 50% of the original battery specification.

Even the Harvey Norman extended warranty covers the battery - I checked when looking to purchase an iPhone 3GS in '09. The battery in an iPhone is not considered a consumable.

However, retailers appear to have wised-up to the fact that the "manufacturer" (i.e. Apple) warranty covers the battery. I can't recall the exact reseller (either DSE or HN), but one I guy I spoke to recently said he was only allowed to offer an extra 1 year warranty for an iPhone.

gjm

808 posts

Ultimate Geek

#425989 11-Jan-2011 08:10

A little off topic here but was wondering what you guys think about having an iPhone that is tied into a 2 year contract but only has a 1 year warranty. Do you think that if you are tied into something for 2 years then the device that you bought should be expected to last for 2 years?

NB: theres nothing wrong with my iphone but I have always wondered about this.

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