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itjw

macrumors 65816
Dec 20, 2011
1,088
6
*Waits for "problem" with sealed box once you get it...*

If you look hard enough you will find imperfections with EVERY phone. Note I said if you look hard enough, as a lot of people don't/don't care enough to lose sleep over.

If by the third replacement you cannot simply get your money back and move on to something else it's no longer a problem with the phone. You can justify it all you want, but Apple is never going to change (not that I think they need to) if they know people will keep running back time after time no matter how hurt they seem.

If it doesn't meet your needs (and clearly it doesn't), go buy something else that does.

It seems like common sense, but here we are.

It's such an awesome phone even people like this can't give it up.

Take that Android! LOL
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
*Waits for "problem" with sealed box once you get it...*

If you look hard enough you will find imperfections with EVERY phone. Note I said if you look hard enough, as a lot of people don't/don't care enough to lose sleep over.

If by the third replacement you cannot simply get your money back and move on to something else it's no longer a problem with the phone. You can justify it all you want, but Apple is never going to change (not that I think they need to) if they know people will keep running back time after time no matter how hurt they seem.

If it doesn't meet your needs (and clearly it doesn't), go buy something else that does.

It seems like common sense, but here we are.

It's such an awesome phone even people like this can't give it up.

Take that Android! LOL

That was a useless response that served absolutely zero purpose. Please refrain from such reterik in the future.
 

nednarm

macrumors 6502
Apr 26, 2010
460
19
U.K
*Waits for "problem" with sealed box once you get it...*

If you look hard enough you will find imperfections with EVERY phone. Note I said if you look hard enough, as a lot of people don't/don't care enough to lose sleep over.

If by the third replacement you cannot simply get your money back and move on to something else it's no longer a problem with the phone. You can justify it all you want, but Apple is never going to change (not that I think they need to) if they know people will keep running back time after time no matter how hurt they seem.

If it doesn't meet your needs (and clearly it doesn't), go buy something else that does.

It seems like common sense, but here we are.

It's such an awesome phone even people like this can't give it up.

Take that Android! LOL

I don't subscribe to that theory at all. Why is such a problem to want a flawless phone that you've paid serious money for? It's quite possible that you could get three iPhone 5's all with faults! Just sitting back and accepting that you've got a flawed device isn't an option for most people.
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
I don't subscribe to that theory at all. Why is such a problem to want a flawless phone that you've paid serious money for? It's quite possible that you could get three iPhone 5's all with faults! Just sitting back and accepting that you've got a flawed device isn't an option for most people.

I've played Apple's game. And until recently, I did it all with a smile on my face. I paid $29 for two refurbs to be sent that showed up looking like ****. I'm not being unreasonable. The refurb I have now has a decent sized water stain type mark on the back of device. I use a case, and haven't given such a minor thing a second thought. I'm not looking for perfection, despite what some may think. To acquire the iPhone 5 I did the following: (Note: Not all of this is Apple's fault, but it's fact nonetheless), I paid $200 for the device. I payed $29 twice for refurbs that didn't deliver. I paid $35 to VZW simply to acquire the device via my 2 year upgrade. I lost my 8 year old unlimited data package. I agreed to, what will amount to off the top of my head, roughly $2,000 in cell phone bills over the length of my new contract. So yeah, I expect more than what's been delivered.
 

nednarm

macrumors 6502
Apr 26, 2010
460
19
U.K
I've played Apple's game. And until recently, I did it all with a smile on my face. I paid $29 for two refurbs to be sent that showed up looking like ****. I'm not being unreasonable. The refurb I have now has a decent sized water stain type mark on the back of device. I use a case, and haven't given such a minor thing a second thought. I'm not looking for perfection, despite what some may think. To acquire the iPhone 5 I did the following: (Note: Not all of this is Apple's fault, but it's fact nonetheless), I paid $200 for the device. I payed $29 twice for refurbs that didn't deliver. I paid $35 to VZW simply to acquire the device via my 2 year upgrade. I lost my 8 year old unlimited data package. I agreed to, what will amount to off the top of my head, roughly $2,000 in cell phone bills over the length of my new contract. So yeah, I expect more than what's been delivered.

It's absolutely understandable you're livid. Hopefully it gets fully sorted when you get that call on Monday; at the very least I would ask for my $58 to be refunded and a brand new sealed device to be delivered free of charge.
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
It's absolutely understandable you're livid. Hopefully it gets fully sorted when you get that call on Monday; at the very least I would ask for my $58 to be refunded and a brand new sealed device to be delivered free of charge.

That's what I'm hoping for. Thank you.
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
After a couple missed calls on Friday and Monday I actually spoke to the rep at Apple today who is now handling my case. She is going to touch base with the Senior Advisor that was rude, didn't return my phone calls as promised, nor responded to my e-mails. Then she is going to have a technician call me about the issues I'm having with my phone. I'm sure this will result in more waiting and aggravation on my end. Just replace the phone already. If it gets to be too big an inconvenience I'm just gonna tell them to forget everything, and then sell the phone and move on. Even if that means I have to take a slight financial hit. Lesson learned.
 

itjw

macrumors 65816
Dec 20, 2011
1,088
6
That was a useless response that served absolutely zero purpose. Please refrain from such reterik in the future.

I appreciate your opinion.

My opinion is that you will never ever be satisfied, and that you have an inability to see that and either 1) Move on to something else or 2) Accept that nothing will meet your standards. I seriously doubt you will be dropping anything as you just indicated you would.

The problem with people who open multiple phones looking for a "flawless" or "perfect" one is that they are often the same people who never seem to find one. Why is that?

Probably because I'm right. I only say probably because I thought I was wrong once and it turned out I was right (but I was still wrong).

That's "reterik" (rhetoric) for you though...
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
I appreciate your opinion.

My opinion is that you will never ever be satisfied, and that you have an inability to see that and either 1) Move on to something else or 2) Accept that nothing will meet your standards. I seriously doubt you will be dropping anything as you just indicated you would.

The problem with people who open multiple phones looking for a "flawless" or "perfect" one is that they are often the same people who never seem to find one. Why is that?

Probably because I'm right. I only say probably because I thought I was wrong once and it turned out I was right (but I was still wrong).

That's "reterik" (rhetoric) for you though...

You got me on a spelling gaffe. Good for you. You're way off. My guess is some of your anger towards my situation comes from a deeply rooted issue that, in actuality, has absolutely nothing to do with me. You seem like a very disturbed individual. You've yet to offer any helpful advice, so please do work on being more useful here on MR if you plan on sticking around.

On a side note, Apple is sending me a new device next week. Let's see how it goes. I'm hoping for no major issues this time. The whole process took awhile. Now let's see if it pays off.
 

sulpfiction

macrumors 68040
Aug 16, 2011
3,075
603
Philadelphia Area
No matter how perfect the new phone is, you are still going to have purple haze in your photos when the light source is just outside the frame. Seems to me that was one of your major complaints, and one that isn't going to be "fixed". I agree that you should expect a good phone out of the box, but it is also funny that there are only a handful of people who open box after box, phone after phone, and there is always something wrong. How is that possible? I got a "perfect" phone on day one, and so did millions of other people. The odds of getting bad phones 3, 4 or 5 times in a row are really pretty slim.
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
No matter how perfect the new phone is, you are still going to have purple haze in your photos when the light source is just outside the frame. Seems to me that was one of your major complaints, and one that isn't going to be "fixed". I agree that you should expect a good phone out of the box, but it is also funny that there are only a handful of people who open box after box, phone after phone, and there is always something wrong. How is that possible? I got a "perfect" phone on day one, and so did millions of other people. The odds of getting bad phones 3, 4 or 5 times in a row are really pretty slim.

Phone #1 - Broken auto-focus out of the box (Confirmed at Genius Bar.)

Phone #2 - Audible rattling near earpiece (NOT from the camera or lock button) AppleCare rep could hear it over the phone when I had him on speaker. Deemed a defect by Apple, not me.

Phone #3 (Current iPhone 5) - Tons of purple in the photos, lots of dropped calls, and no reception when the phone has 3 -5 bars. (A diagnostic test sent to me via e-mail by Apple yielded no hardware issues, but she did note the excessive dropped calls in the report and said that was reason for concern.)

Factor all of the above in with the garbage refurbs they've sent me and that's my story.

It's always easy to question or criticize someone else, until it happens to you. And for the record lots of users out there haven't experienced the purple flare issue. Look it up. The last rep at Apple that I spoke to, Joe, told me it isn't typical of all iPhone 5's to have that problem. Enjoy your launch day phone.
 

MacReloaded

macrumors 6502
Oct 31, 2007
407
0
Canada
Hope the process works out better for you. Mine started 5 weeks ago which they would ship a new sealed box to the retail store of my choice and I would exchange my phone there. Well, FedEx/UPS "lost" the shipment over the holidays and now I've been stuck waiting while several advisors are investigating.
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
Well, I got my replacement white-box device from Apple today. It's a Week 50 model according to Chipmunk International. As soon as I removed the device from the box I heard it, the dreaded battery thud. It's as if the battery wasn't seated in adhesive at all. Aside from the very audible noise it makes when bouncing around inside the housing, you can actually kind of feel it sliding around, too. Just the worst QC I have ever seen. It's too bad, as I really like the iPhone 5 other than the obvious shortcomings I, and many others, are experiencing. I don't think iOS 6 is anything to write home about. But that's another matter altogether.

I called Apple up and sent them a 30 second clip of me lightly shaking the phone to demonstrate the issue. The Senior Advisor I've been dealing with apologized several times and assured me Apple will "make this right". What that means I have no idea. However, if that doesn't include a brand new sealed device directly from China this time around, I'm either just going to ask for a refund or sell the phone I have now and cut my losses. I envy those of you who were able to get a phone the first time around with no issues. This was supposed to be an AppleCare inspected device that was free of problems. Makes you wonder how much of an "inspection" really takes place.
 
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Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
Just to wrap up my story here, I received a brand new iPhone 5 (sealed retail box) today via FedEx. It looks good. I received it just as I was walking out the door to go to work, but a quick glance at the device revealed no scratches or nicks. There's a little mark on the lock button, but it just looks like a small deviation in the anodized coating, and not a scratch or scuff. Nothing major at all. I did notice the lock button on this one seems to have a bit more give to it than the one I have now, but it's still pretty solid. Again, first world problems I suppose. I figured I did a lot of complaining when I felt like Apple wasn't coming through for me, so now that they have I'm giving credit where credit is due.
 

slgray49

macrumors newbie
Feb 23, 2009
18
0
Good for you sticking to your guns until you got the service you and all customers deserve. Hopefully you finally got a defect free phone. As a previous person commented I thought of the "lemon law" and would have demanded a refund based on that alone. I think it is ridiculous one should have to pay to get a replacement for an item under warranty. It's sad that companies can get away with this. I would understand if it turned out to be something not covered under warranty but to have to pay to get a "reconditioned" item to replace a brand new item is sad. Corporate greed and unfortunately too many of us are like most of the previous commentors and would have chalked it up as a loss. That is what allows corporations to get away with such practices. If we all put our foot down they would eventually have to make changes. Gone are the times of "the customer is always right". Of course too many dishonest people have ruined that for us. So again we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Just to wrap up my story here, I received a brand new iPhone 5 (sealed retail box) today via FedEx. It looks good. I received it just as I was walking out the door to go to work, but a quick glance at the device revealed no scratches or nicks. There's a little mark on the lock button, but it just looks like a small deviation in the anodized coating, and not a scratch or scuff. Nothing major at all. I did notice the lock button on this one seems to have a bit more give to it than the one I have now, but it's still pretty solid. Again, first world problems I suppose. I figured I did a lot of complaining when I felt like Apple wasn't coming through for me, so now that they have I'm giving credit where credit is due.
 

Chris092881

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 26, 2012
409
3
Good for you sticking to your guns until you got the service you and all customers deserve. Hopefully you finally got a defect free phone. As a previous person commented I thought of the "lemon law" and would have demanded a refund based on that alone. I think it is ridiculous one should have to pay to get a replacement for an item under warranty. It's sad that companies can get away with this. I would understand if it turned out to be something not covered under warranty but to have to pay to get a "reconditioned" item to replace a brand new item is sad. Corporate greed and unfortunately too many of us are like most of the previous commentors and would have chalked it up as a loss. That is what allows corporations to get away with such practices. If we all put our foot down they would eventually have to make changes. Gone are the times of "the customer is always right". Of course too many dishonest people have ruined that for us. So again we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Thank you. And I completely agree. You gotta stand your ground until you're satisfied. It's the only way. Unfortunately most of the time standing your ground requires a lot of patience and running in circles. Stand pat and eventually it'll pay off.
 
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