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Resolved Apple "genius" denied phone replacement - what do I do now?

What a bunch of drama. Reading this thread really tired me out.

OP, next time something like this happens, just let me know and I'll buy you a new phone. I'd rather throw you some cash than read this kind of nonsense again.
 
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egarcia9330 said:
I have an iPhone 4, it suffered water damage a few days ago. Not knowing what to do, I searched online and found a few repair "clinics" near my area. I figured since it was out of warranty, I was pretty much on my own.

I took the phone to clinic #1, they took it apart and soaked it in a chemical bath to remove corrosion. I picked it up the next day, they told me that they were able to get it back up and running, but the Wifi/bluetooth chip wasn't working, and it wouldn't read a SIM card. They didn't charge me anything because they were not able to "repair" it.

I took the phone to clinic #2, they took it apart in front of me and showed me there was a piece of rice in the SIM card slot. Once removed, the phone was working fine, but still no bluetooth/Wifi. Also, a black sticker covering the CPU was peeling off, so they removed it.

The following day, the top button stopped working. I asked a guy at the office that repairs macs and he said I could take it to the Apple store and get an OOW replacement for $149+tax. I went to the apple store, and the genius said "no problem" and took out a replacement phone, but then he took my phone to the back.

He returned a few minutes later to say they would not be able to replace the phone because it had been tampered with, and showed me a picture of the sticker that was missing, and that a water damage indicator was also missing. I tried to haggle to no avail.

After leaving the store, I noticed the phone would not turn on anymore. When I plugged it into the charger, it would turn on, and then display the "Connect to iTunes" screen. I went back and told the genius that I couldn't turn it on anymore, and he basically would not even talk to me, he said "sorry I can't service that phone".

So now my phone is completely dead, and I am wondering if (1) they are going to "blacklist" this phone using the serial number, and (2) if they did something to it that completely bricked it, so I would be forced to buy a new one.

Any suggestions are welcome.
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You are eligible to get a out of warranty replacement for $200USD. Go back to the apple store and tell them you know that apple allows out of warranty replacement for $200 and you would like to do that. I know for a fact there is $200 out of warranty replacement as I once got it afew months ago after breaking my phone while repairing a lock button. So basically you are entitled to an out of warranty replacement for $200 unless the rules have changed within like 2 months which I doubt. By the way the replacement will be a refurb.

jrfive0 said:
Umm get realistic, who exactly will be coming to knock on your door to arrest you for this....tell me, i'd love to know....ohhhh no one will be that's right :rolleyes:....throw the phone out in the garbage immediately after you register it for loss protection insurance, it will be "lost" then, if it makes you feel better...and if you are paying for an insurance and using it, then it has performed its function...
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Who will arrest you? Well if the insurance company finds out which is possible than they probably contact the fraud section of a police department who will investigate and decide whether you should be charged or not based on evidence.
 
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What do you do now? You buy a new iPhone. Plane and simple. AT&T generally will let users upgrade 12 months early if you're upgrading to an iPhone...I know this to be true, because I upgrade every year. If you're willing to pay $200 for the OOW replacement then just ante up the $300 for the iPhone 4S 32GB or buy someone's used iPhone 4 off of eBay, which may cost you more. I just sold mine for more than $330.
 
Update for you all: I just picked up my OOW replacement. Paid $150, and finally sealed the lid on this issue. Knowing people and pulling strings does have its advantages.

FYI. The reason why they gave me such a hard time is because, apparently, a lot of people have been buying damaged iPhones on eBay, and flipping them for a profit when they get the OOW replacement from the Apple store. It seems like the store I have been going to has been dealing with that issue a lot, so they don't give you a chance. It makes sense because the store is very close (blocks away) to clinic #2, so I'm sure that's a source of problems for Apple.
 
egarcia9330 said:
It just upsets me that neither of these clinics told me that I could've gone to the apple store, paid $200 and be the end of it. With respect to your comment, I am not trying to get a phone for free, because I was obviously prepared to pay the $200 for the OOW replacement.
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Well of course the clinics didn't tell you where to get the phone replaced at a cheaper price. They are for-profit businesses, right?
 
I should first admit that I haven’t read every post here but I am a little surprised by how many people seem to be rushing to defend Apple. Sure… maybe the OP didn’t follow the best course of action but ultimately we must all remember that apple stores do not give a **** about customers or the products. They are retail stores and their only concern is profit. I know this as I worked as a genius in one of apple’s super stores. When you go to work at apple retail you are put through something called “core training” which is a cute name for what is in essence a two week indoctrination protocol designed to break down any patterns of pre-conception of the brand, your personal feelings and your expectations and replace this all with the way apple wants you to behave and believe in the mission. It’s scary ****. But more to the point, as geniuses, we had total discretion over whether or not we were going to replace, repair or deny service. If I liked a customer that smashed the phone and didn’t try and convince me that the phone threw itself off the counter on the middle of the night but instead admitted they dropped it, I just gave them a new device. I also witnessed all kinds of crazy ****: once a woman came in with a MacBook that was several years old and obviously mistreated but because she was hysterical and literally stood in the middle of the store screaming that no ime would help her (even though we were desperately trying to) the head manager of the store ultimately gave her a brand new, still in the retail box MacBook Pro just to shut her up and get her out of the store.
So don’t defend apple and don’t bust someone’s balls because they didn’t perfectly game the system. The bottom line is that anyone who can get one over on apple and get a new device or a free repair should be supported and given an “attaboy.”
 
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crooner said:
I should first admit that I haven’t read every post here but I am a little surprised by how many people seem to be rushing to defend Apple. Sure… maybe the OP didn’t follow the best course of action but ultimately we must all remember that apple stores do not give a **** about customers or the products. They are retail stores and their only concern is profit. I know this as I worked as a genius in one of apple’s super stores. When you go to work at apple retail you are put through something called “core training” which is a cute name for what is in essence a two week indoctrination protocol designed to break down any patterns of pre-conception of the brand, your personal feelings and your expectations and replace this all with the way apple wants you to behave and believe in the mission. It’s scary ****. But more to the point, as geniuses, we had total discretion over whether or not we were going to replace, repair or deny service. If I liked a customer that smashed the phone and didn’t try and convince me that the phone threw itself off the counter on the middle of the night but instead admitted they dropped it, I just gave them a new device. I also witnessed all kinds of crazy ****: once a woman came in with a MacBook that was several years old and obviously mistreated but because she was hysterical and literally stood in the middle of the store screaming that no ime would help her (even though we were desperately trying to) the head manager of the store ultimately gave her a brand new, still in the retail box MacBook Pro just to shut her up and get her out of the store.
So don’t defend apple and don’t bust someone’s balls because they didn’t perfectly game the system. The bottom line is that anyone who can get one over on apple and get a new device or a free repair should be supported and given an “attaboy.”
Click to expand...
The Genius working for Apple is six foot under now, it was so long ago.
 
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crooner said:
I should first admit that I haven’t read every post here but I am a little surprised by how many people seem to be rushing to defend Apple. Sure… maybe the OP didn’t follow the best course of action but ultimately we must all remember that apple stores do not give a **** about customers or the products. They are retail stores and their only concern is profit. I know this as I worked as a genius in one of apple’s super stores. When you go to work at apple retail you are put through something called “core training” which is a cute name for what is in essence a two week indoctrination protocol designed to break down any patterns of pre-conception of the brand, your personal feelings and your expectations and replace this all with the way apple wants you to behave and believe in the mission. It’s scary ****. But more to the point, as geniuses, we had total discretion over whether or not we were going to replace, repair or deny service. If I liked a customer that smashed the phone and didn’t try and convince me that the phone threw itself off the counter on the middle of the night but instead admitted they dropped it, I just gave them a new device. I also witnessed all kinds of crazy ****: once a woman came in with a MacBook that was several years old and obviously mistreated but because she was hysterical and literally stood in the middle of the store screaming that no ime would help her (even though we were desperately trying to) the head manager of the store ultimately gave her a brand new, still in the retail box MacBook Pro just to shut her up and get her out of the store.
So don’t defend apple and don’t bust someone’s balls because they didn’t perfectly game the system. The bottom line is that anyone who can get one over on apple and get a new device or a free repair should be supported and given an “attaboy.”
Click to expand...
How much digging did you have to do to find this 13 1/2 year old thread to resurrect?
 
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crooner said:
I should first admit that I haven’t read every post here but I am a little surprised by how many people seem to be rushing to defend Apple. Sure… maybe the OP didn’t follow the best course of action but ultimately we must all remember that apple stores do not give a **** about customers or the products. They are retail stores and their only concern is profit. I know this as I worked as a genius in one of apple’s super stores. When you go to work at apple retail you are put through something called “core training” which is a cute name for what is in essence a two week indoctrination protocol designed to break down any patterns of pre-conception of the brand, your personal feelings and your expectations and replace this all with the way apple wants you to behave and believe in the mission. It’s scary ****. But more to the point, as geniuses, we had total discretion over whether or not we were going to replace, repair or deny service. If I liked a customer that smashed the phone and didn’t try and convince me that the phone threw itself off the counter on the middle of the night but instead admitted they dropped it, I just gave them a new device. I also witnessed all kinds of crazy ****: once a woman came in with a MacBook that was several years old and obviously mistreated but because she was hysterical and literally stood in the middle of the store screaming that no ime would help her (even though we were desperately trying to) the head manager of the store ultimately gave her a brand new, still in the retail box MacBook Pro just to shut her up and get her out of the store.
So don’t defend apple and don’t bust someone’s balls because they didn’t perfectly game the system. The bottom line is that anyone who can get one over on apple and get a new device or a free repair should be supported and given an “attaboy.”
Click to expand...
I bet the OP (which hasn't been active on this forum since November 2013) will appreciate your belated support
 
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Imagine the iPhones of the future like 16 or 17…..implanted under the skin, batteries that last a year on a charge, weigh nothing, 3D screens where you can touch things holographically. Definitely won’t be the same old same old
 
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