Will Apple give me a white iPhone 5?

[Wicked1]

Have a Black IP5 had issues, I asked and simply stated they said they only replace exactly what you have, talked with three different Apple employees and they all said the same exact thing.

So they gave me a brand new IP5 16GB to replace my defective IP5 with no LTE

New one works like it should

 

[lucasfer899]

I tried to get my black iP4 swapped out for a white one when the sound buttons were playing up, they wouldn't give me anything but a new black one.

 

[Mojo1]

People can post their experiences/opinions all day long but I think that the OP has enough information to know that the answer to his/her question is "It depends." It's a waste of time to debate "theoretical" scenarios except to provide further entertainment for argumentative types like Brian Y...

Now it's up to the OP to contact Apple, find out if the iPhone actually needs to be replaced and if it does, ask for a white replacement. Hopefully the OP will post the outcome in this thread...

 

[Jordan921]

I have a black one now and the power button is kinda acting sluggish. Assuming Apple offers a replacement, can I get a white one instead?

Your chances are slim to none. Goodluck trying tho.

 

[troy14]

Your chances are slim to none. Goodluck trying tho.

I agree. I had a super nice Genius when I first bought my iPhone 5 in black. I got it the day it came out and it came completely scuffed up (it was pretty bad). I decided that I wanted a white one anyways so I made an appointment to not only get it replaced, but get it swapped out for a white one if possible.

The genius understood my concern and offered me a replacement no questions asked for my black one. It was a 64gb model - they had limited quantities of these at time. They had none in stock and would have to order one, but they did have a white one and I explained that I did like the white better anyways and I would be willing or even preferred to take that one as a replacement.

The genius explained he couldn't and even got his store manager over and she (I was friendly, the genius was friendly, and the manager was friendly) explained that it was not possible to swap colors. The two devices have different model numbers.

As crazy as it sounds, she explained it to me as their computers and paperwork etc only look at the devices as having different model numbers - no matter how insignificant the changes are. It would almost be equivalent as swapping out a black iPhone for an iPad or Macbook Pro. The computer doesn't care it only recognizes that the two devices are not the same and will not allow the swap.

 

[Jordan921]

I agree. I had a super nice Genius when I first bought my iPhone 5 in black. I got it the day it came out and it came completely scuffed up (it was pretty bad). I decided that I wanted a white one anyways so I made an appointment to not only get it replaced, but get it swapped out for a white one if possible.

The genius understood my concern and offered me a replacement no questions asked for my black one. It was a 64gb model - they had limited quantities of these at time. They had none in stock and would have to order one, but they did have a white one and I explained that I did like the white better anyways and I would be willing or even preferred to take that one as a replacement.

The genius explained he couldn't and even got his store manager over and she (I was friendly, the genius was friendly, and the manager was friendly) explained that it was not possible to swap colors. The two devices have different model numbers.

As crazy as it sounds, she explained it to me as their computers and paperwork etc only look at the devices as having different model numbers - no matter how insignificant the changes are. It would almost be equivalent as swapping out a black iPhone for an iPad or Macbook Pro. The computer doesn't care it only recognizes that the two devices are not the same and will not allow the swap.

Yea if you bought it and are in the return period best thing to do is return and buy the color you want. But I guess at the time there probably wasn't any stock to just switch.

 

[canucksfan88]

it depends how high you go.
i won a 17" mbp a few years ago but it had a french keyboard.
long story short, i could not pay a restocking fee to exchange it, they would not swap it for an english machine... (fyi this was all at the apple store).

i called in apple, and after a few calls, they agreed to swap my keyboard free of charge (which included the $299 topcase).

similar story because the english keyboard serial is different from the french keyboard serial, and it cannot be swapped..well shouldn't. but they did.

so apple lost money here when i was willing to originally pay the restocking fee. so things are possible.

oh and to conclude my story...they ended up botching the repair and soon after they gave me a new thunderbolt 17" mbp lol

 

[pooleman]

My wife's friend exchanged her cracked screen i5 at the apple store and asked nicely and they gave her a white one even though hers had been black.

Might be best not to be so dogmatic.

Well if your as cute as hour wife's friend you might be in luck.

 

[sulpfiction]

Well to be honest, Brian, I wasn't there. All I know is that one day she had a black iPhone, and the next day she had a white one. She told us that she had cracked the screen by stepping on it in a heeled shoe, had taken it to the store, had asked "nicely" to have a white one back, and that's what happened. Seeing as how she had a white one before my very eyes, I believed her.

Now, did she do a whole mess of paperwork before hand? I don't know. Was it more than once that she had taken it in for repairs and they finally gave her a new boxed unit? Again, I don't know. Could she have gone out and bought a $650 white phone because she was so sick of her black one and then lied to us about it? Again, Brian, I couldn't tell you, although it doesn't seem plausible to me.

But please, for the love of all that is good, do not use the phrase "physically impossible" when referring to actual PHYSICAL acts. Can it be technically improbable? Sure. Ethically unlikely? Perhaps. And while many things are PHYSICALLY impossible, typing keys into a computer or handing over a box with a phone in it is NOT one of them.

Actually, it is physically impossible to change the color from black to white in their system during a warranty swap at the Genius Bar. If the broken phone shows up as black when the pull it up, there is no where to change that to white during the swap.

Just go try to accomplish it. It won't happen. Not never ever during a warranty exchange. U can batt ur eyelashes or even show some nipple. It won't help.

 

[DaveOP]

Only responding because one of my best friends is a genius at my local store and I asked him this exact question a few weeks ago. Essentially, it's manager discretion. The only way that it works is they can swap your phone for the same color and model initially, and then if you get a manager, he can return your phone, even past the 30 days, and repurchase a white one at the same price. There is really no limit to when they can return devices, they took my iPad 4th gen back about a month ago, and I had bought it in December. It's all about leveraging their business sense, because in my case I was planning on buying a 15" rMBP that day, and told them I could only afford it if I could return the iPad. Like many others have said, treat them like humans and have some decency, it can get you a long ways.

TLR, it's not "physically (lol)" impossible.

 

[Luis2004]

there is no where to change that to white during the swap.

Just go try to accomplish it. It won't happen. Not never ever during a warranty exchange. U can batt ur eyelashes or even show some nipple. It won't help.

Only responding because one of my best friends is a genius at my local store and I asked him this exact question a few weeks ago. Essentially, it's manager discretion.

TLR, it's not "physically (lol)" impossible.

And around and around we go. Apparently this thread is full of know-it-alls and liars, or know-it-alls and people who just happened to have a different experience.

 

[dontpannic]

She told us that she had cracked the screen by stepping on it in a heeled shoe, had taken it to the store, had asked "nicely" to have a white one back, and that's what happened.

Pics of wife's friend? haha j/k