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iPhone 3G Silent Ringer Switch Broke off!?!

M

Mark27

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 20, 2008
4
0
Today i switched my iPhone 3G to silent, and the slient ringer switch fell off :mad:. I did not push it hard at all. I can see that they put almost half of a drop of glue and stick it on it is made VERY cheaply! I live in Canada. Will apple repair this for free (Is it covered under warranty) or will they just completely replace the phone, or will it have to be sent in for repair...etc..? I will call Apple tomorrow but they are not open right now and wanted to know what you guys thought.

Any additional help would be great!
Thank you!
 
My ringer switch broke off last week. I brought it into the apple store and a genius took one look at it and said it's covered and I left with a new phone in less than 5 minutes.

I can't imagine it being any different for you over the phone or through a shipping process if you don't have an apple store near you.
 
Baedyn said:
My ringer switch broke off last week. I brought it into the apple store and a genius took one look at it and said it's covered and I left with a new phone in less than 5 minutes.

I can't imagine it being any different for you over the phone or through a shipping process if you don't have an apple store near you.
Click to expand...

Thank you for answering, i called today and they told me to bring it to a genious bar. We have apple stores here in canada but can't get an appointment till saturday (oh well). The girl on the phone said that they should replace the phone like you said, so this shouldn't be to stressful :D!!

Did you bring the box and all the accesories? Did they give you a new one in a box with new accesories or just a new iphone?
 
Mark27 said:
Thank you for answering, i called today and they told me to bring it to a genious bar. We have apple stores here in canada but can't get an appointment till saturday (oh well). The girl on the phone said that they should replace the phone like you said, so this shouldn't be to stressful :D!!

Did you bring the box and all the accesories? Did they give you a new one in a box with new accesories or just a new iphone?
Click to expand...

I brought my original box and everything, however, right now they are issuing replacements from standard white boxes(just the phone, you keep your box and accessories). There are many other threads about these replacements from white boxes and most everyone says they are brand new, including the geniuses at the apple stores.

The genius told me that they are shipped to the apple stores in white boxes to save money, but the phones are brand new. They definitely look new and they have to be set up as new phones in the store as well.

You could bring all of your accessories and box if you'd like(i did, just in case!), but they will most likely just swap your phone and you keep all of your extras and original box still.

Good luck!! My replacement from the store works great and the switch feels perfect, but DO check it out(buttons, screen, and whatever else) at the genius bar before you leave, they don't seem to mind one bit! :)
 
Im in canada too and of course they only sell the iphones at Rogers. So if i have an issue with it, do i take it to an apple store or back to rogers? I do have 1 apple store that does have the iphone (about 20 of them) on display but not sure if they sell them or not:confused:
 
My switch just broke off today, which was very surprising. I will be going to the store tomorrow and see what the Geniuses can do for me.

Thanks for the info.
 
equlizer said:
Im in canada too and of course they only sell the iphones at Rogers. So if i have an issue with it, do i take it to an apple store or back to rogers? I do have 1 apple store that does have the iphone (about 20 of them) on display but not sure if they sell them or not:confused:
Click to expand...

yea i have the same question, anyone? I am with fido btw
 
The Apple store does not sell the iPhone, but if you need it replaced they have them in the back. If not, then they will order a phone to the store for you that will come within 7 business days.
 
Information only,

The store near me, replaced my iPhone no questions asked, and I was in and out in less than 5 minutes! Talk about good service!
 
Sorry, if I had thought about it, I would def. have taken a pic of the damage. Basically, the little polished button fell off and the slider looked as if the switch was only secured originally with a drop of glue. The switch had felt loose from the beginning. This new one seems very firm, and the switch is much easier to...switch. I am pleased.

When I brought in my old phone, I did NOT need my receipt. I did have to make a reservation with the genius bar online...at least that's what the girl said when I called ahead of time. I showed up for my appointment and he took my sim card out, grabbed a new phone from an unceremonious cabinet...which held many hundreds of new phones (in plain white boxes). He put the card in the new phone, asked me for my mobile number and said "By the time you get out to your truck, (he's a friend of mine) you'll have service." I kid you not, I walked out of the store and dialed my office and was talking within thirty seconds.

He also gave me a new serial number sticker. When I got home, the new phone was instantly recognized on iTunes.

I was very pleased!
 
I took it to the Apple Store last Saturday, The girl at the Genius Bar to barely even looked at it for 1 second and said "Okay we'll get you a new one" they didn't have any 8gb replacement models in stock at the time so i have to wait 1 week for it to arrive. You do NOT need to bring your receipt they just look at the serial number on the phone type it into their computers and all the information comes up. She said that it is not happening to every single phone but they do see quite a few with the switches coming off. She said that engineering is aware of it and are taking it into consideration with all phones that leave the factory. I'm assuming that they use stronger glue now or something. You don't get new accessories, they give you a brand new replacement iphone 3g but it comes in a much smaller white box with no new accessories. If they do not have any in stock when you come you will have to wait 7 days and they will print out a form. When it is in stock they will call you, you bring the form to the Apple Store and you do not even need to make a reservation at the genius bar a apple concierge will quickly swap sim cards and your good to go. I will post a photo before my i get my new iphone in a few days.

Good Luck to everyone else!
 
After waiting over 1 month for the white 3G to be available as an upgrade for existing UK iPhone owners i picked up my white one last Satuday (23rd August) and the ringer/mute switch fell off within 2 days.

I was issued a replacement from my network operator store (O2) on Wednesday (27th August) and it's just failed again with the exact same problem (29th August).


For me to have had two brand new white iPhone 3G's with the exact same button-falling-off fault in 6 days this cannot be co-incidence, it must be a faulty batch.:mad:

The O2 store said they'd happily swap it for another one but I declined until they get a new batch in, I might try the O2 shop across the other side of town and see if I have any more luck with that.
 
It looks like the metal part of the switch sits in a slight recess. Is that right? If so I'd be sorely tempted to do it myself with a very small drop of superglue. That'd hold it better than the glue the manufacturer's are using.

Ed.
 
ed2020a said:
It looks like the metal part of the switch sits in a slight recess. Is that right?
Click to expand...
Yes you're right ;), the base of the chrome cap does site in a slight recess.

ed2020a said:
If so I'd be sorely tempted to do it myself with a very small drop of superglue. That'd hold it better than the glue the manufacturer's are using.
Click to expand...
I did think about that but with the latest one breaking when I've only had it for 2 days I thought I'd get myself a new one. If my phone were a few months old then O2/Apple would probably try and argue its caused by accidental damage or dropping the phone, in which case I'd just try some glue but in this instance, I'm still within my 14 day money-back period so no-brainer, just a quick(ish) backup, nip to the shop, quick(ish) restore :D [NOTE: You'd have to be very careful with the glue, too much could end up spilling out from under the button and siezing the switch in a fixed position]

I've just got back from getting my 3rd one but I opted to go to a different O2 store down the road and the switch on this feels MUCH better, almost like the original iPhone switch. Smooth motion, not too stiff (I'm talking about the switch here by the way:D) and can be operated one-handed with just a thumb.
 
scoopz said:
<snip>
[NOTE: You'd have to be very careful with the glue, too much could end up spilling out from under the button and siezing the switch in a fixed position]

I've just got back from getting my 3rd one but I opted to go to a different O2 store down the road and the switch on this feels MUCH better, almost like the original iPhone switch. Smooth motion, not too stiff (I'm talking about the switch here by the way:D) and can be operated one-handed with just a thumb.
Click to expand...

True. I'd be inclined to squeeze a small amount of glue out onto something plastic, dip the metal part of the switch into the glue, and then place it into the recess rather than squeezing glue straight into the recess (that really does have the potential to go VERY wrong indeed). I don't actually use my silence mode at all, so I'm hoping this isn't going to be an issue for me. If it is I'll not be happy even though I don't need the switch.

Good luck with the 3rd one! That's gotta be some kind of record in just a few days. It's a pity about the build quality. If it was up to the standards of the 1st gen it would be a GREAT phone. As it is, it's just a very good one...

Ed.
 
bump

I live in canada, no apple stores... But I bought my Iphone at my local rogers. Last night my mute switch broke off. Will rogers replace it like apple does?
 
Mine broke off last week. Bought in October '08, so I guess I'm still in the 1 year window. However, it is JB/unlocked since I live in Italy and need to use it as a phone. Should I even concern myself with restoring it to normal before bringing it in?

And will they have old stock of 16GB 3G or will I get a super-awesome 3GS replacement? Or will they just glue it back on?
 
pkkrusty said:
Should I even concern myself with restoring it to normal before bringing it in?

And will they have old stock of 16GB 3G or will I get a super-awesome 3GS replacement? Or will they just glue it back on?
Click to expand...
Apple will not touch a phone that has been jb or unlocked and they DO check so you'd best return to original firmware.

Yes they will have 16GB 3G in stock, they still have original 2G iPhones in stock so no cheeky upgrade to the 3GS i'm afraid.
 
My silent switch broke off as well on my iPhone 3G. However, I had my iPhone for about a year now, and there's starting to get some small cracks on the back of it. Will they still replace the silent switch, or only on new ones?
 
Canadian Guy said:
My silent switch broke off as well on my iPhone 3G. However, I had my iPhone for about a year now, and there's starting to get some small cracks on the back of it. Will they still replace the silent switch, or only on new ones?
Click to expand...

If its under warranty, then yes, Apple should replace the iPhone. If not, it would be $199, even if it's Apple fault.
 
scoopz said:
After waiting over 1 month for the white 3G to be available as an upgrade for existing UK iPhone owners i picked up my white one last Satuday (23rd August) and the ringer/mute switch fell off within 2 days.

I was issued a replacement from my network operator store (O2) on Wednesday (27th August) and it's just failed again with the exact same problem (29th August).



For me to have had two brand new white iPhone 3G's with the exact same button-falling-off fault in 6 days this cannot be co-incidence, it must be a faulty batch.:mad:

The O2 store said they'd happily swap it for another one but I declined until they get a new batch in, I might try the O2 shop across the other side of town and see if I have any more luck with that.
Click to expand...

The silver bezel also looks bad too.
 
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