Apple sells products internationally without providing repair service :( What now?

eyalben · Jan 16, 2013

So here's a sad story I have with my iPhone and Apple's terrible service

I bought a new iPhone 5 a month ago and today I realized it has a bent near the volume buttons. I'm afraid that on the long-term the display will crack since its support is not 100% perfect.

Since the volume buttons were loose from day one (I even contacted the carrier regards this issue - they said it's normal) - and the phone was inside a hard-case from day one, I'm suspecting this was out-of-the-box issue.

I live in Israel so the iPhones are being sold through the local carriers which allegedly providing the service themselves (official Apple service?).
Unfortunately, the carrier refuses to fix the phone claiming its warranty voided.

The most shocking part of this story is that the carrier also refuses to charge me and fix the out-of-warranty phone and refers me an unofficial lab.

I've contacted Apple asking where I can fix the phone - and their official response is that "Israel is not a supported country", and therefore if the carrier decides they won't fix to phone - then no one will fix the phone.

Basically Apple told me to take it to an unofficial lab (that might even damage the phone) - since no one will provide me repair service.

Since this is Apple's official response - I'm stuck with a phone that its screen might crack soon - and there no official lab that will fix it.

Does it makes sense? The carriers sells the phone officially as written in Apple's own website.

Please advice me, what can I do?

r2shyyou · Jan 16, 2013

eyalben said:
So here's a sad story I have with my iPhone and Apple's terrible service

I bought a new iPhone 5 a month ago and today I realized it has a bent near the volume buttons. I'm afraid that on the long-term the display will crack since its support is not 100% perfect.

Since the volume buttons were loose from day one (I even contacted the carrier regards this issue - they said it's normal) - and the phone was inside a hard-case from day one, I'm suspecting this was out-of-the-box issue.

I live in Israel so the iPhones are being sold through the local carriers which allegedly providing the service themselves (official Apple service?).
Unfortunately, the carrier refuses to fix the phone claiming its warranty voided.

The most shocking part of this story is that the carrier also refuses to charge me and fix the out-of-warranty phone and refers me an unofficial lab.

I've contacted Apple asking where I can fix the phone - and their official response is that "Israel is not a supported country", and therefore if the carrier decides they won't fix to phone - then no one will fix the phone.

Basically Apple told me to take it to an unofficial lab (that might even damage the phone) - since no one will provide me repair service.

Since this is Apple's official response - I'm stuck with a phone that its screen might crack soon - and there no official lab that will fix it.

Does it makes sense? The carriers sells the phone officially as written in Apple's own website.

Please advice me, what can I do?

Here are a few links that hopefully will be of help to you:

Service Answer Center - iPhone (make sure to select "Israel" from the drop-down list)
Contact Support (general iPhone support for Israel)
iPhone: Wireless carrier support and features (if you expand the "Middle East" section, all supported carriers in Israel carry the following footnote: "Technical support for iPhone in this region is provided by the carrier, not Apple.")

I imagine there are 3rd parties that fix iOS devices and I wouldn't assume that they're all going to do a bad job.

eyalben · Jan 16, 2013

Thanks

I already contacted the Phone Support from the page you referred me to.
They were the ones that gave me this response.

Their site do says that the carrier should provide the service - but the carrier claims they're only providing service to phone that are in warranty.

If your warranty got voided - then according to Apple, no one will provide me repair service.

Unofficial labs here told me that they can't guarantee that they will use official parts and might use Chinese replacements.

r2shyyou · Jan 16, 2013

eyalben said:
Thanks

I already contacted the Phone Support from the page you referred me to.
They were the ones that gave me this response.

Their site do says that the carrier should provide the service - but the carrier claims they're only providing service to phone that are in warranty.

If your warranty got voided - then according to Apple, no one will provide me repair service.

Unofficial labs here told me that they can't guarantee that they will use official parts and might use Chinese replacements.

Take a look at these people (US-based): Mission Repair

Do you ship to my country?
Please create an account by clicking the "My Account / Order Status" link at
the top right hand side of our site. During signup we'll ask for your shipping
address details including country. If your country is not in the dropdown
menu of available countries, unfortunately we cannot ship to your country
at this time.

Source: https://www.missionrepair.com/help_answer.asp?ID=12#24

I used them a year or two ago for a MacBook repair and they were stellar. As such, I logged in to my account just now and went to change my shipping address to see if Israel was included and it was, meaning they should be able to help you.

eawmp1 · Jan 16, 2013

eyalben said:
Thanks

I already contacted the Phone Support from the page you referred me to.
They were the ones that gave me this response.

Their site do says that the carrier should provide the service - but the carrier claims they're only providing service to phone that are in warranty.

If your warranty got voided - then according to Apple, no one will provide me repair service.

Unofficial labs here told me that they can't guarantee that they will use official parts and might use Chinese replacements.

I don't read Hebrew, but here is your warranty page: http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/iphone-hebrew.html

Did you recive any paperwork/sign away any rights when you signed up with the carrier?

Have you contacted consumer protection authorities in your country?

I can't see the warranty being voided unless you got a "gray market" phone from a disreputable source.

And as for Chinese parts - who do you think makes the parts fort the iPhone?

eyalben · Jan 16, 2013

The fact that the parts from Chinese is not my issue. The fact that they didn't went through Apple's official tests and might not be up to Apple standards do.

The document basically says what does covered by warranty and what not.

It does not says what can I do when the warranty is voided

pickaxe · Jan 16, 2013

What carrier are you using, Pelephone? Orange? This is outrageous.

For everyone's reference the "official" price for an unlocked 16GB iPhone 5 here is over 1000 bucks! Of course this price is the same across all networks.

My phone is still fine and I really hope not to receive such treatment if I try to get a warranty replacement.

eyalben · Jan 16, 2013

Pelephone

r2shyyou · Jan 16, 2013

eyalben said:
The fact that the parts from Chinese is not my issue. The fact that they didn't went through Apple's official tests and might not be up to Apple standards do.

The document basically says what does covered by warranty and what not.

It does not says what can I do when the warranty is voided

But it presumably tells you what qualifies as voiding the warranty, right? If so, did any of those things happen with regards to your phone? For example, here is the relevant section in the US warranty:

WHAT IS NOT COVERED BY THIS WARRANTY?

This Warranty does not apply to any non-Apple branded hardware products or any software, even if packaged or sold with Apple hardware. Manufacturers, suppliers, or publishers, other than Apple, may provide their own warranties to you please contact them for further information. Software distributed by Apple with or without the Apple brand (including, but not limited to system software) is not covered by this Warranty. Please refer to the licensing agreement accompanying the software for details of your rights with respect to its use. Apple does not warrant that the operation of the Apple Product will be uninterrupted or error-free. Apple is not responsible for damage arising from failure to follow instructions relating to the Apple Products use.

This Warranty does not apply: (a) to consumable parts, such as batteries or protective coatings that are designed to diminish over time, unless failure has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; (b) to cosmetic damage, including but not limited to scratches, dents and broken plastic on ports; (c) to damage caused by use with another product; (d) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, liquid contact, fire, earthquake or other external cause; (e) to damage caused by operating the Apple Product outside Apples published guidelines; (f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP); (g) to an Apple Product that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; (h) to defects caused by normal wear and tear or otherwise due to the normal aging of the Apple Product, or (i) if any serial number has been removed or defaced from the Apple Product.

pickaxe · Jan 16, 2013

eyalben said:
Pelephone

wtf. I am also on Pelephone and am paying a monthly fee for their so-called repair service

eyalben · Jan 16, 2013

I does says that the dent (which I'm quite sure was NOT my fault) is not covered.

But even though, I want to pay for the repair - just to avoid further damage to the phone (and pricier repair).

The problem is that there is no official service provider this will repair it.

Rocko1 · Jan 16, 2013

You bent it, you pay it. Simple.

eyalben · Jan 16, 2013

Let's say I did (even though I did not!) - To whom?!

There is NO service provider - no one.

Apple sells iPhones - but has no service providers! There is simply no one besides unofficial labs (which I have no idea where they're getting there parts from).

Even Apple themselves told me that. There is no official lab, service provider, or anyone that will take my money and fix my phone and replace the flawed parts with original parts.

eawmp1 · Jan 16, 2013

eyalben said:
Let's say I did (even though I did not!) - To whom?!

There is NO service provider - no one.

Apple sells iPhones - but has no service providers! There is simply no one besides unofficial labs (which I have no idea where they're getting there parts from).

Even Apple themselves told me that. There is no official lab, service provider, or anyone that will take my money and fix my phone and replace the flawed parts with original parts.

It is a worldwide economy. I am sure with shipping and a credit card you can send somewhere where they will take your money and give you a satisfactory repair. Someone above gave you one link.

eyalben · Jan 17, 2013

Great, so I took the device to a private lab - and guess what they've said?! It's not necessary my fault.

They said that if the battery is defective and got swollen then it'll explain why there is a bent only on the volume side of the phone.

Great, so I need someone to provide me warranty service.

Who's that gonna be? You right. No one

Damn those Apple.

r2shyyou · Jan 17, 2013

eyalben said:
Great, so I took the device to a private lab - and guess what they've said?! It's not necessary my fault.

They said that if the battery is defective and got swollen then it'll explain why there is a bent only on the volume side of the phone.

Great, so I need someone to provide me warranty service.

Who's that gonna be? You right. No one Damn those Apple.

Did you look at the link I provided above?

If you want it fixed, it sounds like it'll cost you money no matter what. So, accepting that bit, contact those people, send it off, get it back, and voila, you're good to go!

I don't get why you insist on maintaining anger over a situation you apparently can't solve the way you want to (yet can solve another way).

eyalben · Jan 17, 2013

r2shyyou said:
Did you look at the link I provided above?

If you want it fixed, it sounds like it'll cost you money no matter what. So, accepting that bit, contact those people, send it off, get it back, and voila, you're good to go!

I don't get why you insist on maintaining anger over a situation you apparently can't solve the way you want to (yet can solve another way).

I looked at the link, and eventually I did went to a private lab which has good reviews.

The private lab itself told me that its might still be covered under warranty.

I'm angry about the fact that Apple officially sells iPhones without providing an official repairing service.

I'm also angry now because I never sat on the phone and it never fell on the floor - so I'm trying to figure find a logical explanation of what caused it.

I paid a full price for the phone and I see no reason to pay extra money after 30 days of use - especially if it's covered under warranty!

Brian Y · Jan 17, 2013

If the battery had expanded - you'd know - the screen would come away slightly.

Unfortunately Apple have no responsibility in this case, as hard as it sounds. It's the carrier who is at fault for not providing the service.

r2shyyou · Jan 17, 2013

eyalben said:
I looked at the link, and eventually I did went to a private lab which has good reviews.

The private lab itself told me that its might still be covered under warranty.

I'm angry about the fact that Apple officially sells iPhones without providing an official repairing service.

I'm also angry now because I never sat on the phone and it never fell on the floor - so I'm trying to figure find a logical explanation of what caused it.

I paid a full price for the phone and I see no reason to pay extra money after 30 days of use - especially if it's covered under warranty!

From what I read when gathering the first set of links I provided to you, it doesn't sound like Apple actually does "officially" sell the iPhone in Israel. Instead, the carriers are the only official outlet and, consequently, the only source for official repair service. That being the case, they (your carrier) are who you should be angry at since they gave you some seemingly bogus "warranty voided" response when you requested service and then further refused to allow you to pay for said service.

eyalben · Jan 17, 2013

(Sorry I got a little bit angry at my previous post

)

Here's photo of the dent.
The screen is lifted a little bit, that's why I'm scarred.

The other side of the frame has no bent at all - it is perfectly straight.

If I accidentally did this to the phone - didn't the bent should be symmetrical?

The photo:
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s7/sh/747206ff-b042-4e46-8e80-d54f08ba96bb/f32ce704071543966300b6b52d3b37a9

----------

r2shyyou said:
From what I read when gathering the first set of links I provided to you, it doesn't sound like Apple actually does "officially" sell the iPhone in Israel. Instead, the carriers are the only official outlet and, consequently, the only source for official repair service. That being the case, they (your carrier) are who you should be angry at since they gave you some seemingly bogus "warranty voided" response when you requested service and then further refused to allow you to pay for said service.

I'm angry on both of them right now,

On the carrier because of their stupid service,
And Apple because of their stupid policy/response.

The carrier operates as an official apple service provider (like a premium reseller) - and therefore Apple can order them to at least check the phone.

I own two MacBook Pros and one of them needed a repair 4 years ago, Apple does have a Premium Reseller in Israel (which doesn't provide service for iphone) and I contacted Apple in order to accelerate the repair process. (The premium reseller held the computer over a month without even starting the repair process).

If Apple repr. wants to talk with its resellers, he/she can, and they did once.

JohnLT13 · Jan 17, 2013

eyalben said:
(Sorry I got a little bit angry at my previous post )

Here's photo of the dent.
The screen is lifted a little bit, that's why I'm scarred.

The other side of the frame has no bent at all - it is perfectly straight.

If I accidentally did this to the phone - didn't the bent should be symmetrical?

The photo:
https://www.evernote.com/shard/s7/sh/747206ff-b042-4e46-8e80-d54f08ba96bb/f32ce704071543966300b6b52d3b37a9

not sure if bend would be symmetrical as it seems volume controls are the weak part of the phone. I'm very surprised phones don't bend at sim slot also. I will keep my phone in my front pocket and in a case for now on, I've seen to many bent phones recently. You really should put it in a nice strong case, if it works dont fix it.

eyalben · Jan 17, 2013

JohnLT13 said:
not sure if bend would be symmetrical as it seems volume controls are the weak part of the phone. I'm very surprised phones don't bend at sim slot also. I will keep my phone in my front pocket and in a case for now on, I've seen to many bent phones recently. You really should put it in a nice strong case, if it works dont fix it.

It was on a great case from day one - the SwitchEasy TONES.

And even if the bent isn't symmetrically, I should've seen at least a tiny bent on the other side right? A scratch on the display? A scuff? Some other mark? :/

r2shyyou · Jan 17, 2013

eyalben said:
I'm angry on both of them right now,

On the carrier because of their stupid service,
And Apple because of their stupid policy/response.

The carrier operates as an official apple service provider (like a premium reseller) - and therefore Apple can order them to at least check the phone.

I own two MacBook Pros and one of them needed a repair 4 years ago, Apple does have a Premium Reseller in Israel (which doesn't provide service for iphone) and I contacted Apple in order to accelerate the repair process. (The premium reseller held the computer over a month without even starting the repair process).

If Apple repr. wants to talk with its resellers, he/she can, and they did once.

Apple can perhaps "order" them to check the phone but they're not likely to do so without some real push from you. It's like asking for a refund for a bogus charge; the customer service rep you initially speak with might not budge but the supervisor you ask to speak with might eventually give you what you want. So, in terms of Apple, you should call numerous times, hoping to speak with different people each time. And submit support tickets on their website. And open threads on their forums and respond to other, similar threads. And last but not least, email the "top dogs" about the issue you're facing. Basically, try everything because a company of their size essentially doesn't ~~give a rat's ass about~~ even notice one person unless that person makes their presence impossible to ignore. That's what I'd recommend after doing the same with the carrier, since they're really who you should be directing your complaint to.

JohnLT13 · Jan 17, 2013

eyalben said:
It was on a great case from day one - the SwitchEasy TONES.

And even if the bent isn't symmetrically, I should've seen at least a tiny bent on the other side right? A scratch on the display? A scuff? Some other mark? :/

Anything is possible. If it were my phone I would leave it alone. As long as you don't sit on it I assume it wouldn't get worse. But again anything is possible. I would rather live with it then to have a 3rd party taking it apart, again JMO. good luck with whatever you do.

Apple sells products internationally without providing repair service :( What now?

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