Sorry to hear all the troubles. Glad it is sorted out and thank you for sharing. I have only ever bought from Apple’s refurb store if buying used and this confirms why that will remain the case.
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Other A hard lesson learned
- Thread starter markredf150
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I've had a good 3rd party experience with John Lewis (a reputable department store chain in the UK). I purchased a refurbished/returned 13 mini then went straight across the road to the Apple Store to have it checked out (they were more than happy to do the diagnostics on it). All perfect.
Confident to buy it from them because they only sell them from the store location it was originally sold from, so have a personal responsibility, and only accept them within their original 30 day return window. They accept opened, used and registered with Apple, but they send it away to specialists to be dealt with (they don't replace parts, so not technically a refurb but a quality controlled return which will match Apple's refurb standard and price). Then you still have 11 months of the Apple guarantee, can do AC+, plus JL add an extra year of their own free.
Sorry to hear about all of those problems.
Everyone is different, but I put a priority on buying new. I’m just not a risk taker. If that means fewer Starbucks I’m okay with that.
Everyone is different, but I put a priority on buying new. I’m just not a risk taker. If that means fewer Starbucks I’m okay with that.
In the UK we have a nationwide chain of 2nd hand retailers called CEX (Computer Exchange) that are more expensive than buying online, but they put a 5 year warranty on everything. Do they have anything like this in the USA?
No doubt other users will have their fair share of horror stories though! I bought an iPhone 13 Pro last year, sent to the store from their online warehouse having been repaired. The back glass had no Apple logo! But it was a decent price so I went with it. On startup I had to calibrate the camera as this is the part that had been replaced and annoyingly they didn't use this as a chance to change the battery.
3 months in and the back glass started to peel away. They gave me full store credit and I got a Pixel 8a which as a 'new' grade hadn't been used. I later sold that (not for any reason) and bought a new iPhone 16 which is brilliant.
No doubt other users will have their fair share of horror stories though! I bought an iPhone 13 Pro last year, sent to the store from their online warehouse having been repaired. The back glass had no Apple logo! But it was a decent price so I went with it. On startup I had to calibrate the camera as this is the part that had been replaced and annoyingly they didn't use this as a chance to change the battery.
3 months in and the back glass started to peel away. They gave me full store credit and I got a Pixel 8a which as a 'new' grade hadn't been used. I later sold that (not for any reason) and bought a new iPhone 16 which is brilliant.
I as well prefer buying new. I just don't believe that 'new' has to mean 'current'. There is a window of time with every release of a new model iDevice where the previous model is still sold. Either by Apple or by the carrier. These devices are still new, but are no longer the current model.
The last time I bought last year's model, it was new and it saved me a few bucks.
I stopped at news outlet. No idea why would they run this unless it’s larger part of Amazon refurb shenanigans. I buy regurb from Apple or used device still under AC+.
Interesting. I'm not OP, but I have an iPhone 6s+ running iOS 15.8.4. I understand that what you are referring to was a feature added called Parts and History with iOS 15.2
I had the battery replaced on this iPhone in November 2021. That was done at an Apple store by Apple techs using (presumably) Apple parts. Yet, there is no Parts and History section in my Settings app.
Maybe it only shows this if an iDevice is on at least iOS 15.2 when it gets a first repair/replacement? IDK. But I do know that a Google search says that if this section does not appear on your iDevice it means your device has never been serviced.
Which in the case of my iPhone 6s+ is untrue.
It's also interesting, because my current iPhone (11 Pro Max) is a replacement for the one I got in February 2021. But there is no Parts and History section in my settings app for my 11PM. My 11 PM is on iOS 18.something.
I was wondering this too. This is the first thing that should be checked.
Also, anyone can sell on Amazon. You take your chances.
That's because it an OEM Apple display. The OP bought a phone with some aftermarket screen installed as part of a questionable "refurbishment" process and Apple (understandably IMO) declined to replace it.
If 3rd party or Apple Parts are used on iPhone XS(only Battery) and iPhone 11(most parts) then Repair History and others will show up
I don’t think the problem is Amazon, but the private company/third party offering the product or refurbished product.
That’s why I usually only buy Amazon, fulfilled by Amazon. And have never had any issues at all.
You really have to trust the third party company using Amazons fulfillment services. That’s why if I ever buy third party on Amazon, it’s because I trust that specific company, have bought from them before or done a lot of research and can’t get the item elsewhere.
I have a question, would software like 3utools figure out if all the software is genuine or aftermarket? I bought a 14 pro refurbished from Amazon but I took it back due to low battery and it looked pretty good and everything came back original in the settings the battery and screen. I know people have ways to fake this but would that software work?
You can fake this to be honest, it's a guy in YouTube that knows all the tricks and scams for reselling iPhone. Google phone repair or something similar.
A simple wire bypass can enable true tone on a screen that's not even apple original.
It's very risky with the large amount of 3ed party guys trying to make a buck fixing phones.
Android is very small in comparison.
This should be illegal. They destroyed your property and need to compensate you for it, it doesn’t matter whether the property was manufactured by Apple or not. If you were showing them something on your android and they dropped the phone, they would have to make you whole so that you could restore it to working condition.
I had the battery on my son's SE2 replaced by uBreakiFix, along with a part that had to do with audio. uBreakiFix is a national chain (USA) of repair shops run by Assurant. Assurant is one of the two major insurance providers that the big three carriers use (I'm with T-Mobile). So, I imagine if they did NOT use OEM Apple parts for that they probably worked around it. They do advertise that they use OEM parts though. But, it's not Apple.
Aside from the fact that you sign a work order acknowledging that what happened could happen, why is Apple responsible for this? Technically, they could have just said they would not work on the device at all. Which is exactly what they did in the past whenever they encountered third party parts.
By signing, OP agreed to the terms.
I always buy used and I’ve never had that kind of thing happen. Sorry that happened to you! I imagine it’s about the luck of the draw
Sorry OP, but you may have vastly overestimated the newsworthiness of your visit to an Apple store.
There is always some risk buying non Apple "refurbished". But I think you can take some precautions to lessen it. I have had many good experiences buying open box, used, refurbished iPhones from Amazon and other marketplaces that are not Apple Store. And the savings were substantial. If I were to buy a "refurbished" iPhone from a random seller on Amazon, I would ensure 1. it's Prime eligible item as Prime items usually have a better return policy and support from Amazon in cases like this. 2. I would check the reviews of the seller and ensure it's 4 stars or higher with many reviews of customers buying phones. One credible negative review about non genuine parts or something else shady, and I move on. 3. Ensure the seller provides a good 90 day or higher warranty that covers the battery. 4. Put some real stress on the phone in the first 30 days. Anything off (battery, stuttering, freezing, reboots, extreme heat), utilize your Prime membership benefits and return that sucker.
We all have different appetites for risk and desire for savings. My typical issue with refurb/used is that, for me, the reduced price is 99% of the time not enough to mitigate the risk of dodgy products. YMMV for sure though. Sorry for OP, but man, it's crazy put there for used stuff, IME (I come at this perspective via different hobbies such as audio as well).
Every year I buy the new Pro Max and return the one I currently use.
Sorry to hear you've been through this.
I think there are more cost effective solutions though. Also, I'd never add hoops to jump through because of the color of a phone.
Sorry to hear you've been through this.
I think there are more cost effective solutions though. Also, I'd never add hoops to jump through because of the color of a phone.
Caveat emptor:> Let the buyer beware.
If you want Apple backing, buy from Apple. You may save a dime buying elsewhere, you may have to spend a dollar to fix it
You wouldn't expect a BMW dealer to cheaply fix a problem with a car you bought from a shade tree mechanic.
If you want Apple backing, buy from Apple. You may save a dime buying elsewhere, you may have to spend a dollar to fix it
You wouldn't expect a BMW dealer to cheaply fix a problem with a car you bought from a shade tree mechanic.
Sometimes Amazon get scammed with you. I recently bought a new Canon OEM battery from Amazon and when inserted in the camera, was greeted with a message that the battery was no at Canon battery and was counterfeit. Returned for refund and bought from B and H and it worked fine.
No guarantees any more.
No guarantees any more.