A tale of 5 iPhones, a cautionary tale.

[Hipnomac]

Let first off start by saying, I absolutely love the iPhone, it is a great phone/ipod, and I find it hard to put it down at times.

1. I bought my first iPhone on July 17, I was happy as a clam, and went home to set it up, everything went great, by the time I had it all loaded up it had a full charge. I use it for not even two hours, and it just dies on me, and all I was doing was listening to music, and a total talk time of 10 minutes. I went to the apple store the next day and....

2. They replaced my phone no questions asked. Again, went home, loaded it up, happy again. As I'm pulling it out of my pocket, an exposed piece of the screen lining catches my pocket and pulls out, leaving a gap on the bottom part of the iphone, where dirt and stuff can get through. Back to the Apple store.

3. They happily replace my phone, after the genius gets a out a magnify glass and inspects the damage. He's says no problem, replaces my iPhone. Go home and I am happy. until.. I get home, and I am out of the bright lights of the apple store and realize on 50% brightness that there are white dots everywhere on my phone. It makes videos and pictures look grainy, and overall I am getting pissed off. Back to the apple store. they tell me I am crazy, say its normal, show me two phones with the same thing, I keep saying, get out of the glare of these studio lights, and go tell me there nothing wrong, the manager comes, huffs and I leave extremely aggravated. I then go home and call apple care, at which point I'm connected directly to a product specialist(due to escaltion), who acknowledges the problem, and happily says he will send me a brand new phone before I have to send mine back, no dealing with a loaner phone or anything. My phone arrives a few days later.

4. I don't even have to take the packaging off this new iPhone, on start up, there is horrible light eminating from the top, bottom and side. (see picture) I call my rep (who by the way was extremely helpful, curteous, and polite, can't say enough good things about this guy.) send him the picture I've attached, he says no problem sends me a brand new phone. FYI: This screen did not have the dots issue. (yes it was a 5.)

5. The phone arrives today. I pull out of the box, hoping and praying this phone is good. Open it, there is some light bar problem at the top, but I say f*** it, I just want a phone, I can live with it. No white dot issues. (another 5) So i'm driving to work, and I go to silent the ring, nothing registers, the phone doesnt vibrate, the little icon doesn't come up on the screen. UGGHHGHGHGH, go home to master reset, hard reset on the phone, NOTHING, still doesn't work. Also in my office at home, with the lights off, I notice about 15 stuck pixels (before this i never knew what they looked like)

So know I am waiting for my rep to call me back, frustrated and disappointed, but I still love the iPhone, no matter how bad its been to me.

I don't want a new phone this time, because all of the ones I have gotten have been lemons, so I just want mine to go into repair, and be fixed for the problems that I know about it.

 

[tttexxan]

Thats just crazy...I would demand the apple store to keep replacing until its right...Open your new iphone in store and take to the bathroom with lights off to see if lighting meets your expectations. Call apple customer care while in the store and let them talk out your return

 

[megfilmworks]

Do you always have this kind of luck?? If so you should warn people about doing business with you!

 

[Canuck4]

You should play powerball dude

 

[chr1s60]

That is insane!! I haven't heard of anyone having this much bad luck with the iPhone. Apple should refund at least some of your money for all the trouble you have had to go through. Hopefully your newest phone will get fixed or replaced and you will be able to enjoy the fun of an iPhone for an extended period of time.

 

[chopper dave]

4. I don't even have to take the packaging off this new iPhone, on start up, there is horrible light eminating from the top, bottom and side. (see picture) I call my rep (who by the way was extremely helpful, curteous, and polite, can't say enough good things about this guy.) send him the picture I've attached, he says no problem sends me a brand new phone. FYI: This screen did not have the dots issue. (yes it was a 5.)

That pictures looks just like mine- I really don't understand what is wrong. Did you expect everything to be "light tight?" You should have quit when you got this one.

Sucks about the other stuff though. I agree about the repair- it is more foolproof to get a new ringer switch than risk getting another dud screen.

 

[Madame Defarge]

At $500 + the iPhone should be near perfect

Re: Did you expect everything to be "light tight?"

Why wouldn't he? He paid $500 + any extra monthly cell phone fees.

From the very beginning, Apple products have been more expensive than the average; the trade-off being, that the quality was unmatched, and Apple users have come to expect the best.

As a design professional, I love both the look and the superior operating systems, plus the cutting edge technology. But so many problems have been reported with the iPhone, that I'm beginning to wonder what's happening with Apple.

If it were me, I would return the iPhone for a refund and wait for the next generation. No one should have to put up with a product that has so many issues, especially when they'll be stuck with it (and AT&T) for 2 years!

 

[JBaker122586]

No, I don't understand what his beef with phone number 4 is either. The picture he posted just looks like a regular picture of an iPhone to me...

 

[Joshua8o8]

With the exception to the picture you posted i see where you are coming from. You did pay $500+. And that picture you posted, maybe that's a feature that the 5 series have, they are supposed to be bright arnt they? Any how good luck on your hunt for an iPhone that's up to your standards.

 

[nfocus design]

I had to get three iPhones before I got one that didn't have yellow splotches on the screen. It is kind of hard to see the spots in the bright lights of the Apple store, but when you get it home and use without over head lighting, they really stand out. The boot screen was the easiest to see the bad area.

I was well within my rights to keep exchanging the phone until I got one that didn't have any defects and so were others with various problems. I have bought many Apple products over the years and this was the first time I ever returned something for a defect.

 

[Yankees 4 Life]

Re: Did you expect everything to be "light tight?"

Why wouldn't he? He paid $500 + any extra monthly cell phone fees.

From the very beginning, Apple products have been more expensive than the average; the trade-off being, that the quality was unmatched, and Apple users have come to expect the best.

As a design professional, I love both the look and the superior operating systems, plus the cutting edge technology. But so many problems have been reported with the iPhone, that I'm beginning to wonder what's happening with Apple.

If it were me, I would return the iPhone for a refund and wait for the next generation. No one should have to put up with a product that has so many issues, especially when they'll be stuck with it (and AT&T) for 2 years!

have you ever had a phone contract before? You are always stuck with a carrier. For 2 years only cingular had the razr, and for 2 years, vzn had the Q. You just get used to life....

 

[DylanG]

4. I don't even have to take the packaging off this new iPhone, on start up, there is horrible light eminating from the top, bottom and side. (see picture)

You call that a "horrible light"? This confirms what I suspect about most people who've returned multiple iPhones and fret over 7 vs. 5. Your expectations are ridiculous.

Below is your picture at full size. Oh, the horror!

 

[rdowns]

Damn, that's some serious bad luck.

Hipnomac, should we even find ourselves in a thunderstorm, I'll expect to you to not stand next to me. Thank you.

 

[vinhmen]

Seems to me the "caution" in this tale is don't be so anal. You should have quit at 3 or 4.

 

[iKwick7]

Let first off start by saying, I absolutely love the iPhone, it is a great phone/ipod, and I find it hard to put it down at times.

1. I bought my first iPhone on July 17, I was happy as a clam, and went home to set it up

We all know that clams are know for being very, very happy!


Sucks to hear you are having so many problems.

 

[mautal]

dammed 2-year contracts

have you ever had a phone contract before? You are always stuck with a carrier. For 2 years only cingular had the razr, and for 2 years, vzn had the Q. You just get used to life....

I don't necessarily agree with the always stuck with a carrier... But if you choose to sign a 2 year contract with cingular or verizon, they will give you a discounted price on their respective phones. And even if you opt for the 1 year contract (I believe this is the minimum which might have changed since i'm locked down to a 2 year contract and have not done any phone shopping these last 2 years) you will have to pay full full price for the phone which is $200 - maybe $300... don't quote me on the exact prices but they are not as expensive as the iPhone for sure

 

[Hipnomac]

You call that a "horrible light"? This confirms what I suspect about most people who've returned multiple iPhones and fret over 7 vs. 5. Your expectations are ridiculous.

Below is your picture at full size. Oh, the horror! "

My expectations are for what the phone promises to do, and paying $600+ for any one product, I should get a product in perfect working condition.

That picture was taken with the iphone in bad light, it doesn't show how bad the phone actually was.

I have never had this kind of problem with any one product, and believe me I didn't want to keep returning phones. But with that particular phone the light leakage was horrible, it effected the playback of video and viewing of pictures. I KNOW this because I'VE had 5 PHONES which to compare, and NONE of the others one had this kind of light leakage, so therefore by deductive reasoning it has to be a defect.

 

[sealab2021]

What do you expect, they're REFURBS!

Do you think your the only one who doesn't have a perfect iPhone? I've had three and one of them couldn't keep a call longer than 5 minutes. Dude, unless your iPhone fails to function (like those stuck pixels) stop taking it back, you do realize they are now replacing iPhones with refurbs now!

Mine was replaced by a brand new looking iPhone wrapped in plastic, except that it had 12 hours of talk time already logged on it!

 

[Madame Defarge]

No one should have to put up with a product that has so many issues, especially when they'll be stuck with it (and AT&T) for 2 years!

What I meant was, that if someone's iPhone is having issues, they will have to put up with the whole, faulty phone thing, for 2 years, unless Apple is able to produce a perfect (or nearly so) phone and is willing to swap.

Secondly, for some, AT&T is a comedown from their previous carrier.

The norm with cell phones, is that one can swap for another model, before the 2 year contract is up, so long as you stay with the carrier. There is no indication, that I can see, that this will be possible with the iPhone.

BTW, does anyone know what happens if you return your phone (for good) to your AT&T contract? I assume it becomes null and void, but I don't know for sure.

 

[DylanG]

My expectations are for what the phone promises to do, and paying $600+ for any one product, I should get a product in perfect working condition.

You've given Apple 5 chances and they can't satisfy your definition of "perfect working condition". The obvious answer is Apple isn't making the product you want. So why don't you spend your money on a product that does meet your criteria?

 

[Hipnomac]

You've given Apple 5 chances and they can't satisfy your definition of "perfect working condition". The obvious answer is Apple isn't making the product you want. So why don't you spend your money on a product that does meet your criteria?

Because I have passed the return period, and the I feel I have had just bad luck. I do like the phone, I just want one that works.

 

[AHDuke99]

Because I have passed the return period, and the I feel I have had just bad luck. I do like the phone, I just want one that works.

sounds like bad luck, but maybe you are being too picky. and from what i keep reading, each iphone has its issues. my first one didnt play sound periodically, and my second one's speakerphone is useless. but i kept my second cause i am tired of sending it back and forth, and the newer one could have a problem worse than speakerphone.

i'm hoping when update 1.1 comes we'll see volume increase across the board. i dont think it was in the update just released. people just think it was.

 

[Madame Defarge]

Because I have passed the return period, and the I feel I have had just bad luck. I do like the phone, I just want one that works.

While that makes sense that you would feel that way, it seems like it might not be possible with the 1st generation.

What if you returned the phone, got a refund and waited until the 2nd gen came out? You might be out the restocking fee, but you wouldn't be stuck with a phone that wasn't up to Apple's usual level of quality.

 

[ashVID]

This is all about expectation and tolerance. Most people have a tolerance for certain things and reasonable expectation, others do not. I suspect that the phone with terrible light spill or the phone with horrific white dots would have been "perfect" in the eyes of most everyone.

This is not an Apple or iPhone issue. This is a nitpicky tech-head issue. Look at when the PSP came out, mass hysteria over the terrible screens that were over run with dead pixels. The hysteria created a hyper awareness of the "problem" that had people loading special jpegs, going over their systems with a fine toothed comb and demanding a perfect product. At the end of the day we find out that about 3%.... THREE PERCENT!!!!! well within the normal range for defects in a tech product had problems with screens that had clusters of bad pixels.

The expectation from iPhone was exceedingly high and still it satisfied most who purchased it. There are those who have no tolerance however who are probably better off with a Nokia candy bar phone on its 20th generation.




ash =o)

 

[iBookG4user]

Wow, that is some terrible luck. I hope you finally get a good iPhone, you might want to ask them to inspect it in store though.