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iPhone 11 Pro Max Apple first party rear glass replacement is highway robbery.

M

Mellofello808

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Original poster
Mar 18, 2010
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My sister unfortunately had her phone slide off the couch 2.5 feet onto a hardwood floor, and her camera glass shattered. I will leave it for another discussion if it was wise to make a giant round glass protrusion camera cover.

She ultimately dropped it so, it is our responsibility to fix it. Her apple care just ended.

However she was quoted $600 to have the back replaced. That is just a outrageous cost IMO. There is no possible way that there isn't a huge margin baked in, and I think that it is a unsavory time for them to make huge profits off of their customers, when they have a broken phone with no trade in value.
 
Mellofello808 said:
My sister unfortunately had her phone slide off the couch 2.5 feet onto a hardwood floor, and her camera glass shattered. I will leave it for another discussion if it was wise to make a giant round glass protrusion camera cover.

She ultimately dropped it so, it is our responsibility to fix it. Her apple care just ended.

However she was quoted $600 to have the back replaced. That is just a outrageous cost IMO. There is no possible way that there isn't a huge margin baked in, and I think that it is a unsavory time for them to make huge profits off of their customers, when they have a broken phone with no trade in value.
Click to expand...
Apple doesn't replace the rear glass they replace the phone with a refurbished unit that's why it's so expensive. There are 3rd party options but water resistance is no longer guaranteed after the repair
 
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Mellofello808 said:
My sister unfortunately had her phone slide off the couch 2.5 feet onto a hardwood floor, and her camera glass shattered. I will leave it for another discussion if it was wise to make a giant round glass protrusion camera cover.

She ultimately dropped it so, it is our responsibility to fix it. Her apple care just ended.

However she was quoted $600 to have the back replaced. That is just a outrageous cost IMO. There is no possible way that there isn't a huge margin baked in, and I think that it is a unsavory time for them to make huge profits off of their customers, when they have a broken phone with no trade in value.
Click to expand...
Which phone did she have? Did it have a case on it?
 
Yes, it’s expensive. Apple sells refurb iPhone 11 Pro Max for about $800 which includes a brand new chassis and battery. Repairs are priced just below the cost of a refurb device which allows them to extract maximum profit.

You’re encouraged to get a good dual- or triple-layer case with camera protection for about $10-20. If you want to use thin cases or no case at all, then get AppleCare+.
 
Was her iPhone in a case OP? Sorry to hear and yeah I agree.

I shattered the back glass of my iPhone earlier this year for the first time in my life after owning iPhones since the original in 2007. I had never broken any iPhone in my life. No AppleCare.

I was going to take it to a third party shop but after looking online, I saw that the job most do are janky and I don’t want to lose that water resistance. My local shop also told me they legally couldn’t sell me a back glass with an Apple logo since it’s a trademark but that the back glass would be jaut

$600 at Apple and I got a new iPhone. The only upside is a flawless iPhone with a new battery in my hands but that $600 stung.

I wish it was an more reasonable price and process to fix the damn thing.
 
Either have Apple Care or use a good quality case. If not, you can’t complain at what Apple charge. They don’t even have to offer the service they do, what other companies do you know where you can take your self damaged item and walk out with effectively a brand new one the same day without paying full retail price again?!
 
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RRC said:
Either have Apple Care or use a good quality case. If not, you can’t complain at what Apple charge. They don’t even have to offer the service they do, what other companies do you know where you can take your self damaged item and walk out with effectively a brand new one the same day without paying full retail price again?!
Click to expand...

This is also a great point.
 
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Sorry to hear OP. With those kind of profits, its no wonder Apple is pushing back on others’ right to repair, but it is needed more than ever.
 
It’s mainly because of the bad design of the phone. The rear glass shell is integrated into the entire chassis. In order to fix it - they’ve got to replace the entire chassis which is essentially like replacing the entire phone minus the motherboard and display
 
Same story happened to me dropped my XS Max at the time, first time i shattered a iPhone and they wanted 800$ to get it fixed, that was the time i wished i had Apple care +. Now i always get Apple Care no matter what! Fixing these gadgets cost a fortune.
 
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For those of you with household insurance for loss and damage to personal effects, what is the advantage from an insurance perspective to buying Apple Care?
 
AppleCare+ charges no more than $99 for a phone replacement. They actually have screen/back glass replacement listed (not sure if back glass replacement is a new option or not) for $29 so not bad considering what out of warranty repair costs. Your home owners insurance may have a deductible which most likely is a lot more than that..

iPhone Repair and Service - Apple Support

Need to repair your iPhone? See your service options, their costs by coverage type, and how long they take.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
Just go for a third-party repair shop doing it with a laser. They'll neatly remove the back glass w/ no mechanical force applied to the frame or other components, and then apply a new glass with the same quality structural adhesive apple is using. Just google for "laser iphone back glass repair".
Starting from like $50, depending on the phone model & shop location. Iphone 12 would certainly cost over $100 but only thanks to insanely greedy, rotten apple charges basically new phone price for an otherwise easiest phone job ever.
 
Mellofello808 said:
My sister unfortunately had her phone slide off the couch 2.5 feet onto a hardwood floor, and her camera glass shattered. I will leave it for another discussion if it was wise to make a giant round glass protrusion camera cover.

She ultimately dropped it so, it is our responsibility to fix it. Her apple care just ended.

However she was quoted $600 to have the back replaced. That is just a outrageous cost IMO. There is no possible way that there isn't a huge margin baked in, and I think that it is a unsavory time for them to make huge profits off of their customers, when they have a broken phone with no trade in value.
Click to expand...
She wasn't quoted for a repair, she was quoted to replace the phone. I did a 3rd party repair for $99 when this happened to me. Phone looks great. I would recommend going that route. A good repair shop can melt the glue with lasers, and replace the back glass without issue. It's a very common repair.
 
driveparty said:
Just go for a third-party repair shop doing it with a laser. They'll neatly remove the back glass w/ no mechanical force applied to the frame or other components, and then apply a new glass with the same quality structural adhesive apple is using. Just google for "laser iphone back glass repair".
Starting from like $50, depending on the phone model & shop location. Iphone 12 would certainly cost over $100 but only thanks to insanely greedy, rotten apple charges basically new phone price for an otherwise easiest phone job ever.
Click to expand...
Have you seen the repair performed? The glass around the camera's is secured under the lens rings so they have to be chipped out piece by piece.. Not sure what others think but I wouldn't want some guy doing that to my phone. Plus kiss water resistance goodbye...
 
BugeyeSTI said:
Have you seen the repair performed? The glass around the camera's is secured under the lens rings so they have to be chipped out piece by piece.. Not sure what others think but I wouldn't want some guy doing that to my phone. Plus kiss water resistance goodbye...
Click to expand...
For a $500 savings, I'll keep my phone dry.

That's also not true. The glass covering the cameras is preserved in one piece. The new back glass fits over the camera cutout.
 
mnsportsgeek said:
For a $500 savings, I'll keep my phone dry.

That's also not true. The glass covering the cameras is preserved in one piece. The new back glass fits over the camera cutout.
Click to expand...
Your incorrect. Watch this video starting at 7:15. The glass is clearly under the camera rings. The 3rd party replacement rear glass fits around the camera bezels...
 
BugeyeSTI said:
Your incorrect. Watch this video starting at 7:15. The glass is clearly under the camera rings. The 3rd party replacement rear glass fits around the camera bezels...
Click to expand...
It's a little different for the 12s then. When they did my XS Max, the new back glass fits directly over the camera hump. Still, I don't see much risk here. This is a pretty painless repair for anyone that has invested in the lasers to do it correctly.
 
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driveparty said:
Oh, really! Isn't it another false claim, apple won't stand behind in its warranty dislaimer?
Read the docs before taking a devil's advocate job

Water and other liquid damage to iPhone or iPod isn't covered by warranty - Apple Support

Service for liquid damage to an iPhone or iPod isn't covered by the Apple One-Year Limited Warranty.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
Many people dunk their phones under water and they don't leak. I personally wouldn't do it because they don't test every device. When you get your phone from Apple it's either water resistant or if it wasn't sealed properly it's not. If your phone was water resistant before the damage, after the 3rd party repair it most definitely is not.
 
BugeyeSTI said:
Watch this video starting at 7:15. The glass is clearly under the camera rings. The 3rd party replacement rear glass fits around the camera bezels...
Click to expand...
So, what's wrong with that kind of repair? I mean, the glue gets polymerised all over the area & the gaps it fills, no liquid can get thru.

The false water resistance is due to adhesive under display frame, earpiece, speaker/mike & sim-tray. Back glass never spills, unless it's shattered all around.

BTW, from my friend's experience in iphones repair, they've seen water damaged devices in otherwise new condition, like 1-2 weeks from purchase date (by activation date). Just because of Chinese workers simply forget to remove adhesive layer protective film around an earpiece, so the adhesive won't adhere. Needless to say, apple rejected to service those phones.
 
driveparty said:
So, what's wrong with that kind of repair? I mean, the glue gets polymerised all over the area & the gaps it fills, no liquid can get thru.

The false water resistance is due to adhesive under display frame, earpiece, speaker/mike & sim-tray. Back glass never spills, unless it's shattered all around.

BTW, from my friend's experience in iphones repair, they've seen water damaged devices in otherwise new condition, like 1-2 weeks from purchase date (by activation date). Just because of Chinese workers simply forget to remove adhesive layer protective film around an earpiece, so the adhesive won't adhere. Needless to say, apple rejected to service those phones.
Click to expand...
Well, how much would that repair average in cost?
 
BugeyeSTI said:
after the 3rd party repair it most definitely is not
Click to expand...
Are you ready to bet on this? How much you can afford for a loss..? 'Cause I'm quite sure, I would've won it, even if we did it with like 10 devices in a row.

ps
you don't seem to be a tech guy, like engineer or even a DIY person, do you?
 
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