Genius won't replace iPhone even though battery is horrible

petrucci666 said:

Went to the Genius Bar yesterday since my iPhone's battery isn't good at all.

The phone is kept in a case, no scratches, dings or anything.

He ran the tests and battery status came back as "normal".

He then points out the overall average usage I'm getting out of my phone is 4h 16min. He emphasizes that this is below average from what I should be getting.

I was expecting that his next words would be "I'll go ahead and exchange the phone for you" but he didn't say that. He said that since there is no physical damage to the phone that he can't exchange it.

It's an iPhone 5 purchased a month ago.

I don't feel entitled to a new phone nor did I demand it, but I was pretty disappointed that they didn't exchange the phone after acknowledging that the battery performance was below average.

Has this happened to anyone else? Why wouldn't they exchange it?

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you keep location services on?

petrucci666 said:

Went to the Genius Bar yesterday since my iPhone's battery isn't good at all.

The phone is kept in a case, no scratches, dings or anything.

He ran the tests and battery status came back as "normal".

He then points out the overall average usage I'm getting out of my phone is 4h 16min. He emphasizes that this is below average from what I should be getting.

I was expecting that his next words would be "I'll go ahead and exchange the phone for you" but he didn't say that. He said that since there is no physical damage to the phone that he can't exchange it.

It's an iPhone 5 purchased a month ago.

I don't feel entitled to a new phone nor did I demand it, but I was pretty disappointed that they didn't exchange the phone after acknowledging that the battery performance was below average.

Has this happened to anyone else? Why wouldn't they exchange it?

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Have you tried restoring the phone? There's a good chance that'll help. Try doing that, and if the problem still persists, go in again and tell them you've tried restoring and you are still getting that kind of battery life. But keep in mind, usage time doesn't matter as much as what you're using during that time. Graphic intensive games, phone calls, facetime, video/music streaming drain battery much faster than texting or browsing forums on Safari.

Wireless signal strength will make a big difference in battery life. Playing GPU intensive games will too.

Tyler23 said:

Have you tried restoring the phone? There's a good chance that'll help...

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I was cynical about that until a genius ran some proprietary diagnostics and then restored my wife's iPhone 3G. Fixed it.

i got a scratch on my first ever iphone 5 because my case did not arrive yet lmao so i went in and complained about wifi and gps issues and calls dropping until i was blue in the face but they still woudlnt exchange it lol

and then i showed him an area of the touch screen that was unresponsive and got it changed asap.

isephmusic said:

i got a scratch on my first ever iphone 5 because my case did not arrive yet lmao so i went in and complained about wifi and gps issues and calls dropping until i was blue in the face but they still woudlnt exchange it lol

and then i showed him an area of the touch screen that was unresponsive and got it changed asap.

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You're the reason they're busting his balls about exchanging his phone. Or people like you, should I say. You scratched the phone and then searched for a reason to get it replaced, yet this guy has a battery that is performing below expectations, and they won't swap it out. Seems fair, huh?

You can try again. Hopefully you will get another rep that cares more about customer satisfaction.
Or do it online.
https://expresslane.apple.com/ProductSelector.action

petrucci666 said:

That's what I was thinking, I'll just go to a different store and hopefully someone will help me out.

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Just ask them to replace the battery.

The only thing I find unusual is the response you say he gave - the "no damage so I can't replace it". That's not something they would say. If the diagnostics show as normal, then they should explore other options, such as checking settings, and they should at least do a DFU restore. Lack of damage has nothing to do with replacing it :s.

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isephmusic said:

i got a scratch on my first ever iphone 5 because my case did not arrive yet lmao so i went in and complained about wifi and gps issues and calls dropping until i was blue in the face but they still woudlnt exchange it lol

and then i showed him an area of the touch screen that was unresponsive and got it changed asap.

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Well I hope you drop and smash this one, so you in one way or another give Apple the $200 you owe them.

petrucci666 said:

I found it unusual as well, and was kinda hinting at him 'Does that mean I should physically damage it for you to replace it?'

Of course I didn't say that, but that's what I got from his statement.

He did check my settings, he ran a diagnostics test etc.

I don't get why he said that my overall average usage is less than what I should be getting, and yet he doesn't replace it.

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My guess is this: During the launch how many brand new iPhone 5 boxes had to be opened up before people found one without flaws? Many people here on MR have said they personally or saw someone go through three sealed boxes before settling on a device. They probably had a TON of phones sent back, and therefore have all the refurbs they need. If the phone isn't clearly defective they aren't going to replace it, as they've already taken a big hit with "scuffgate". That's my best guess. Or they want everyone to purchase AppleCare and give those that are on the fence with issues a harder time than they would someone who dropped money on AC.

petrucci666 said:

He did check my settings, he ran a diagnostics test etc.

I don't get why he said that my overall average usage is less than what I should be getting, and yet he doesn't replace it.

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There could be a reason to it. I'm not saying the reason is valid though. The reason could be is that the battery is still within the batteries health. Have you properly cycled your battery?

http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html

I was also not happy with my battery. On average I was getting 5 hours at best. One day after watching some videos, I was down to 40% after 1.5 hours. I took it in on the spot and had the Genius run his diagnostic. He says the battery drain was due to iOS crashes that were reported when he logged my phone. He said I have two options, wait until iOS updates come out which should reduce the draining crashes or he would replace it on the spot.

I decided to replace it, was very happy he gave me that option as my initial iPhone 5 was a Best Buy open box, so it felt good getting a new (refurb) directly from the Apple Store.

As for the performance of the new one, I've had it a little over two weeks and it performs only slightly better than my first phone. I'm holding out hope that as Apple pushes updates the battery will last longer.

Do what someone else and yourself suggested, try again at another Apple store.

Thats odd. In the past whenever i had any issues with iphones they would switch it out no questions asked. Maybe after all these crazy news stories about geniuses abusing their power is causing a crackdown

Steevie said:

Thats odd. In the past whenever i had any issues with iphones they would switch it out no questions asked. Maybe after all these crazy news stories about geniuses abusing their power is causing a crackdown

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What news stories about geniuses abusing their power?

apples allowed to shaft us but not the other way around ! dont you dare. they don't make enough money to cover a single customers loss right ?

yet when people complain they will switch to PC you guys are the first to say go ahead no one will miss you apple wont even feel a single person leaving them.

hypocrites

I had issues with my iPhone. Genius didn't want to swap it out. I said thanks and walked over the head Genius and he swapped it out for me on the spot. It all depends on the person you're dealing with. Hope you get it sorted out.

Here's a tip that works. If the genius you're dealing with wont swap it, politely ask for the store manager, politely explain the circumstances, and that you've now lost 2 trips/days trying to get a phone that works, people get new phones for the most trivial reasons, you're certainly entitled given that your battery clearly isn't as good as it should be, on a one month old device.

Megalobyte said:

Here's a tip that works. If the genius you're dealing with wont swap it, politely ask for the store manager, politely explain the circumstances, and that you've now lost 2 trips/days trying to get a phone that works, people get new phones for the most trivial reasons, you're certainly entitled given that your battery clearly isn't as good as it should be, on a one month old device.

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Here is my story from today at the Cardiff Apple Store in Wales, UK. I went to the Apple store because both my iPhone 5 and my daughter's iPhone 5 were both showing signs of battery trouble. Both phones are out of warranty, so I was not expecting anything much. To my surprise, they offered to replace the battery on *her* phone for free, but not on my phone! I couldn't believe it. Why the difference in treatment? The Apple Genius explained to me that it was because hers was bought from the Apple Store and mine from a 3rd party!! Can you believe it? That seems like such a silly reason. It is an Apple product sold at thousands of outlets. I think they just did not want to replace two batteries. I talked to Apple Support online after the visit and they were worst than a stone wall. They could not offer any help. Sorry to say, this was the poorest service I have ever seen from Apple. It was such a turn off that I am thinking of jumping ship and buying an Android phone. Not expecting better service, but just not giving my money to a company that make buzillions selling defective batteries that die within a year. The whole idea of non-user-replaceable batteries was that they would last longer than you would own a phone. You never need to replace them for at least 3 years. Since upgrading to iOS 7, my iPhone 5 shuts down unexpectedly at 30%-40% without warning! Yet Apple refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem with the phone or with iOS 7.

I guess it depends on the Genius/Store. I brought my Launch Day 5s in for random reboots. They restored it and sent me on my way. That still didn't solve the problem. The next trip back, they replaced it without a fight and I didn't even ask them to.

If the store won't help, pick up the phone and call Apple directly. Since the Genius acknowledged you battery life was poor, maybe the phone rep will just ship a new one out.

petrucci666 said:

He then points out the overall average usage I'm getting out of my phone is 4h 16min. He emphasizes that this is below average from what I should be getting.

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I've no idea what diagnostics are used to assess battery life, but half of all batteries are going to be 'below average'. It's not the same as being 'outside acceptable (to Apple) parameters'.

petrucci666 said:

The way I use the phone is pretty standard. Brightness at 30-40%, WiFi off when using data connection, Location Services are limited to only apps that actually need it (Maps, Camera), no intensive games on it.

I have tried restoring it and it still didn't help.

Here's a screenshot of my usage, dropped to 22% after only 3+ hours of usage. And it was kept in Airplane Mode since I was in Mexico during Xmas/NY.

Image

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the screen uses the most battery
you can have it on airplane mode but if the screen is on the whole time you are using it then 3 hours sounds about normal

Megalobyte said:

Here's a tip that works. If the genius you're dealing with wont swap it, politely ask for the store manager, politely explain the circumstances, and that you've now lost 2 trips/days trying to get a phone that works, people get new phones for the most trivial reasons, you're certainly entitled given that your battery clearly isn't as good as it should be, on a one month old device.

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I love how the word "politely" has to be emphasized, like all of us act like raving lunatics when dealing with people at large. Sad commentary.