Hello all, this is my first post here.
I registered to this forum to share my experience with having to return / exchange the iPhone 5, black model.
One week ago, I was able to buy my iPhone 5, after waiting for 1 month (it had been out of stock since the day after release and the only way to get it was to manage to reserve it online, knowing that only a few were given away every day).
The reason why I wanted to get the phone from an Apple Store rather than buying it online was that I had heard about the scuffing/scratching issue and wanted to make sure that mine wouldn't be "defective": by opening my box in front of the Apple Store staff, I'd be able to get a replacement right away.
So I opened my box in front of them. I lifted the lid and inspected the phone before even touching it. I immediately noticed scratching on the outer edge and pointed it out. The staff proposed to replace the phone. The second phone they gave me didn't have scratching but a tiny speck of paint was missing from the diagonal part of the rim (not a scratch, though). I didn't want to be a pain in the ass to them (each time they exchange it, they have to return the first phone, refund it, pretend that I'm buying a new one and then register it, printing a new receipt) so I said it would be ok like this.
I didn't have a case for the phone, so when I got home and took it out of the box, I immediately put it in an Apple sock, to protect it in the meanwhile (I only want to buy a case which is approved by Apple but at the moment they don't have any at the Store).
When taking it out of this sock, I noticed a little thing at the bottom of the screen which I thought was some nylon dust, as it seemed transparent: I tried to blow on it but it seemed stuck between the edge of the screen and the rim. Later on I didn't see it anymore, which I thought confirmed that it was just dust. But 3 days ago, in bright light, I saw it again and this time I realised that it was not dust but a little chunk of the screen was missing.
So the next day I went back to the Apple Store and pointed it out to a specialist, who told me that they'd probably change the phone but I needed a Genius Bar appointment. Luckily, I had one scheduled for the next day (yesterday) to bring my iPod in for a repair. I took the chance to show my iPhone problem as well.
After a bit of a discussion, they agreed to change it for me (actually the manager agreed right away, it's the trainer who was all like "your phone will get damaged anyway". I agree to this, but I don't pay 900€ to have a phone which has a default even before I've started using it).
The manager was amazingly nice and did a return / exchange. But the trainer told me that if this one was damaged too, I would have to suck it, which obviously put me in a totally freaked out state: what if the new phone was worse than the previous one? When I opened the box, the phone was perfect. Like totally magnificent, and even more black than the one I had previously owned for a week.
I was really happy and relieved and started setting it up... until I realised that the home button was dead >_<
They did another return / exchange. The next phone was scratched on the edge and had a several specks of paint missing on the rim.
Another return / exchange. The next phone had a larger speck of pain missing, glue marks and scratching lines.
Another return / exchange. The manager was really nice and was the one proposing to exchange the phones each of these times. I was feeling really awful and was in the most stressed state, feeling like each new phone would be worse than the previous, and feeling really bad towards the staff. The manager said that it was not a problem to him, that there was indeed a paint/scratch issue and that the company should not ship defective phones in any case.
This time though, he added that this was the last exchange he was proposing today, as the stock was too low and they had to keep the rest of the phones for reservations. After this, if I wasn't happy, he'd have to reimburse me. When I opened the box, this phone (the 6th since the very first) was the most scratched of all, with several places missing paint, pieces of glue still stuck on the sides, and a really bad scratch around the Lightning dock, in a convoluted shape (as if some kid had doodled on the phone with a very shape needle).
I was feeling bad (for the staff) and sad (that I'd have to give back the phone and walk out with nothing) and so I debated for several minutes with myself whether I should keep this 6th one or not.
In the end I decided to give it back: I knew that if I had accepted it, I would never have been fully happy and would have seen the scratches/scuffs/paint missing every time, my eyes would have been drawn to these defects, amplifying them.
If the phone had costed just, say, 200€, I would have sucked it and kept a non-perfect one. But we're talking about a 900€ purchase, here, and I take extreme care of all my devices.
Besides, I love Apple and have never had such a problem with any of their products. My iPod 2007 is in perfect condition, the screen does not have a single scratch. My MacBook Pro 2008 is nearly pristine and running Lion: sure, the case has a dent from when the laptop was dropped on a concrete floor and sure the case is showing some wear marks where my forearms rest when I type, but that's normal use after 4 years and a half! But I can't accept to have a defective device right from purchase day.
The staff advised me to wait until they get stock, in mid-November... This is really disappointing as I now have to wait another month, after having been graced by the amazing-ness that is the iPhone 5 :/ I had grown really attached to it already.
They also told me that the scratch/scuffing problem is being address right now in factories and apparently they are starting to receive phones from the second batch (I suspect that the third phone they gave me, the one whose home button was dead, was from this second batch because it indeed had a perfect outer casing and looked more black than the others).
If I can have a phone that is "perfect" to me, I'm happy to wait and I actually wouldn't want a phone from the first batch, now that I've seen all the issues these have. I'm just sad to have to proceed like this and would have hoped that Apple is not the type of company that hurries production processes and ships damaged phones just so as to be ready for a certain release date (actually I think that Steve Jobs would never have allowed that, but this is another story...).
Anyway, all this to say: the Apple Store staff are really amazing and they will definitely exchange a phone that is damaged upon purchase (well, they kind of have to). There are also 14 days during which you can change your mind and ask to return the phone if you're not happy. Besides, if you take the Apple Care plan, you are guaranteed a replacement phone if any system problems appear later on.
It's just sad that we have to return phones due to manufacturing issues in the first place.
iPhone 5 32GB White, iPad 3 16GB Black, iPod Video 5.5G 120GB, Shure SE425's 
