Was anyone successful in Europe so far? I know they say the program isn't open in Europe before the 2nd of May but my button is broken for MONTHS now and it pisses me off. How big are the chances here to get the 5 replaced with a new 5?
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Apple Initiates iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program [Updated]
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If your phone's serial number shows that your phone is eligible for this program, you have 2 options today:
A) if you bought it from Apple, you can go to your local Apple store and ask for it to be repaired/replaced. If your phone is out of warranty and they won't do anything, you should argue that it was a previously undisclosed manufacturing defect and should still be eligible for repair/replacement.
B) if you got it a part of your phone contract from your mobile service company, you need to talk to them.
In all honesty though, it's 3 days until you can replace/repair through Apple. Too long to wait?
My iPhone 5 is part of this programme, however since I am in Australia, the official button replacement does not start till May 2, so Im getting in early and taking my iPhone 5 in today to the Brisbane Apple Store to be replaced with a new iPhone 5 (not just the button mechanism). I will also ask the possibility to upgrade to the iPhone 5S if possible as well, however this has only been mentioned in the US on MR.
Serial number determines whether your phone was in a batch with a potential manufacturing defect. Not every phone in that batch has that defect. If your phone does not have a problem, there is no reason for Apple to replace it free of charge.
How is there no reason for apple to replace it? There is a very obvious problem with the batch of phones my phone was deemed to be a part of so why should there not be a preventative repair? It's known there is a problem with this batch therefore it's feasible to think that somewhere down the road even if it hasn't happened yet there will be a problem
No, it is not feasible. Just like not everyone's iPhone 5 arrived with dents and scratches, some people may never encounter this issue. By the same token, why should Apple repair/replace a phone that does not exhibit this problem free of charge? If feedback in this thread is any indication, not every phone in the batch has this problem. As much as you may want Apple to repair/replace in a pro-active manner, it is not going to happen. Apple's repair/replace policy is already generous and I cannot think of a manufacturer that would replace an item that MAY develop a problem and but does not at the moment. Besides, this program covers period of 2 years from when an eligible iPhone was purchased. As such, folks have until between September this year and March of next year to stake their claim.
Companies that were pro active when problems had developed: gm, toyota, any car company that at one point had a recall....
With all due respect I have a opposing view on this. Yes this is not a health and safety issue but the issue is related to the flexing of the body of the iphone5 and the potential for the ribbon cable to loosen and render the power button useless. This was a component issue from one vendor for a series of production iPhone 5's. The number could be in the millions considering how many were built. The problem is not black and white and can be exhibited sporadically then increasing with frequency then failing.
With that being said Apple should fix the problem before it happens. IF they have proactively identified a breakdown in the production components then it is their obligation to fix the potential problem regardless if it actually ever manifests itself into a true problem. Why should other iPhone 5 users who don't fall under this program via serial number have a greater piece of mind then ones that do fall under this program. All things need to be equal and all components parts should meet or exceed the standard of production that Apple implemented. If even the smallest part falls below that standard than we as consumers were unable to make a educated decision during the buying process and inadvertently purchased a less than a 100% iPhone 5 where others did buy a 100% iPhone 5 according the the production standards set by Apple.
I am not basing Apple these things happen with all companies. Car companies don't wait for all recalls of cars to exhibit issues regardless of how minor or major the problem. The moment a part is deemed to potentially fail the car companies are required to replace them all.
Again this is not a health or safety issue but all iPhone buyers should enjoy the same standard of production and if they are not Apple needs to remedy it ASAP for all.
You are comparing a company that makes a phone where one button MAY encounter issues with a company where a manufacturing fault can cause loss of life. Also, I am fairly certain that, at least in countries in Europe and North America, car manufacturers are legally obliged to replace/repair recalled vehicles. No such legal requirement exists for Apple. Some people may not like it, but it is what it is.
First of all, you said that "...Apple should fix the problem...". I agree with a caveat: should, not must. Big difference. Second of all, you say "...it is their obligation to fix the potential problem...". I do not agree: Apple are not obliged to do anything that is not mandated by consumer protection legislation in markets where Apple operates. If they go above and beyond what they have to, as they often do, kudos to them. The fact that came out with this 1.5 years after iPhone launched should be commended. Clearly not all iPhone 5 manufactured up to March last year were affected, not in the least because this is a combination of sporadic manufacturing defect with wear and tear that occurs naturally. As with any manufacturing process, there are bound to be imperfections at the beginning and processes are refined and improved with time. Using your analogy, this means that initial batches of any product are bound to be less than 100% than subsequent ones. Sorry, nice try, but you are not going to convince me, much less Apple, that what you say is sound. Would be nice but, alas, c'est la vie.
100% is not the goal but the expectation for any production line. There is never a intent to produce and then refine. Keep in mind millions are produced in the first 90 days. The refinement comes from necessity due to manufacture outliers. I have sat in 100's of production meetings. SOP (standard operating procedures) very rarely change during production thus the very low occurrence of potential widespread issues like the sleep wake button happen at a frequency Apple steps in and changes SOP's. This is a sub vendor issue not a engineering issue. The sub vendor didn't meet the SOP standards for assembly of a single component. Substandard thus apple intervention.
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So explain to me why a car company that has a recall on say a headlight how that potentially is life threatening? That's about as threatening as an iphone spontaneously combusting as far as I'm concerned.
And that's fair enough. Apple are expected to take responsibility for work their subcontractors do, just like the case with any type of outsourcing. That notwithstanding, any expectation for Apple to replace/repair every single potentially defective iPhone 5 is still unreasonable.
If a headlight (or both) goes out at night while you're driving at a decent speed on an unlit road, you may end up in a tragic accident (hope that you don't, of course). You are free to be concerned about anything you like. At the end of the day, Apple does not HAVE to replace an iPhone 5 with an eligible serial number that does not exhibit aforementioned sleep/wake button symptom. They may have considered offering repair/replacement of all potentially affected iPhones, but may have decided that to be to uneconomical and/or not have sufficient stock. You may not like it, but that won't change a thing.
Has anyone successfully spoken with a third party store about this?
I am in Clearwater, FL and 'PeachMac' is my nearest repair store according to the Apple Support page
https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/
But I've called them twice this week and as of this morning (Thursday) they claim Apple hasn't given them all the information/signed off on them participating so they can't handle the repair... very frustrating to have this announced and them listed if they can't take it... has anyone else had any joy with third party providers or is this only really happening at Apple Stores?
I am in Clearwater, FL and 'PeachMac' is my nearest repair store according to the Apple Support page
https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/
But I've called them twice this week and as of this morning (Thursday) they claim Apple hasn't given them all the information/signed off on them participating so they can't handle the repair... very frustrating to have this announced and them listed if they can't take it... has anyone else had any joy with third party providers or is this only really happening at Apple Stores?
You are usually bound to have more luck with Apple directly than with 3rd party service providers. There are a couple of Apple stores in Tampa, are they too far away?
It works out as a 2 hr round trip which I was hoping to avoid since Apple (incorrectly) list the PeachMac store as participating...
Just come back from Apple store in UK, iPhone taken away for repair and given a loaner, which happened to be a brand new iPhone 5 in white 16gb, told to expect my repaired phone ready for pick up in 4-6 days, whole process took around 20 minutes.
It may not be Apple's fault in this case. It is possible that PeachMac have not got their behind in gear quickly enough.
Interesting! I will be going into an Apple store today to have my phone replaced and already have a Genius Bar work authorisation form to do so. Last Saturday, my Genius told me that UK iPhones will be replaced and not repaired, so I wonder if anything changed in the meantime. Repair is not good enough for me, because loaner would not do the trick.
Actually no, the store claim Apple have not approved them to participate yet which makes it all the more frustrating that Apple have them listed on the recall info page. Who knows who is right but bottom line either don't announce the recall until you can handle it properly or exercise some control over the third party retailers... or don't include them.
I spent over an hour today in the Apple Store at Covent Garden today getting this sorted.
They have a dedicated area and team to do it, but as always, it's a slow process and there just aren't enough staff members.
First they wipe your phone and install some diagnostic software, then test your sleep/wake button, check your phone for cosmetic damage, then they run the software, have you sign some stuff, and give you the loaner (16gb white iPhone 5 in my case). Phone due to come back in 4-6 days.
It all takes forever as a) they don't know what they're doing yet, b) not enough staff, c) it's all manual.
The diagnostic software checks your sound, vibration and wifi (plus a couple of things I can't remember!) They have a special black stick to check your button (apparently mine didn't work in the middle or on the right).
Your phone must have Find my iPhone off or it won't work, and you must have a sim installed.
Hope that helps someone!
They have a dedicated area and team to do it, but as always, it's a slow process and there just aren't enough staff members.
First they wipe your phone and install some diagnostic software, then test your sleep/wake button, check your phone for cosmetic damage, then they run the software, have you sign some stuff, and give you the loaner (16gb white iPhone 5 in my case). Phone due to come back in 4-6 days.
It all takes forever as a) they don't know what they're doing yet, b) not enough staff, c) it's all manual.
The diagnostic software checks your sound, vibration and wifi (plus a couple of things I can't remember!) They have a special black stick to check your button (apparently mine didn't work in the middle or on the right).
Your phone must have Find my iPhone off or it won't work, and you must have a sim installed.
Hope that helps someone!
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Thanks! I was there today hoping to have my iPhone replaced as per what their Genius told me last Saturday and gave me a Genius Bar work authorisation printout to that effect. However, turns out that they are repairing after all. My phone is from Vodafone, so I will take it up with them tomorrow morning in-store, because of the statutory 2-year warranty. If no luck, will scoot it over to an Apple store and get them to give me a loaner and send off the original for repair.
I recall them saying that you should also have a backup to restore from and they don't recommend that you do the full restore onto the loaner. The loaners are always 16 gig ones, so if your faulty iPhone is bigger then it is a bit of an inconvenience.
They're actually concerned that if you do a full restore, your loaner phone will try to do an iCloud backup and you'll run out of space.
Well, my iPhone 5 32GB Black has gone off to Holland for repair! I went to the Apple Store at Lakeside, UK yesterday evening, where they had three other people in for the same thing. They had a dedicated desk and a couple of staff on the job (who were excellent and trying their very best!), but the organisation of it all was a bit dodgy. I was there for well over an hour.
It was just teething problems and unfamiliarity as it was the first day, but the staff reckoned getting in early was the best tactic! They said Apple are sending out emails to affected owners on Monday, at which point it'll go mental and the 6-8 day repair time could increase to weeks! They also mentioned possibly running out of loan iPhones (mine is a 16GB White, incidentally).
My sleep/wake button has been completely dead for a two or three months (it failed all of the diagnostic tests), but the funniest part is my loan iPhone 5 also has the issue! Granted, not as badly (it works on the left side), but the staff didn't know whether to laugh or cry!
It was just teething problems and unfamiliarity as it was the first day, but the staff reckoned getting in early was the best tactic! They said Apple are sending out emails to affected owners on Monday, at which point it'll go mental and the 6-8 day repair time could increase to weeks! They also mentioned possibly running out of loan iPhones (mine is a 16GB White, incidentally).
My sleep/wake button has been completely dead for a two or three months (it failed all of the diagnostic tests), but the funniest part is my loan iPhone 5 also has the issue! Granted, not as badly (it works on the left side), but the staff didn't know whether to laugh or cry!
With all the costs involved in this button replacement program, wouldn't it have been cheaper and faster for Apple to just replace like for like the affected iPhones with an 'S' model device? I am sure they have done a P&L analysis to come up with the most cost-effective solution, but still...