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Apple not honoring AppleCare+ warranty!

G

gorgedude

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 17, 2017
7
1
We have 64G Iphone6S Plus. Purchased used in May 2016. Apple verified it's 'clean', verified that the AppleCare is valid and registered to our AppleID. 'We are good to go!' they said. We have all this in written documentation from Apple. The phone has worked fine for months. Last month it was acting up, shutting down by itself, etc. We called Tech Support. They said do a 'Restore'. Ok, sounds easy right.. So we do a Backup, then restore... The device comes back and has locked itself to an AppleID that we do not recognize... It has associated itself to someonelse's AppleID! We did NOT release the device from our AppleID. It is also NOT the AppleID of the previous owner. We checked with them, they don't see this device in on their account.

Ok, so we call Apple expecting them to remove that AppleID and then we can carry on.. But Apple Tech Support will NOT without very specific details included on the 'Original' receipt. Not my receipt.. The original receipt!. Well, I don't have that.. Who would?? I have provided Apple with dozens of pages of documents with all the receipt details they want as well as documentation FROM APPLE THEMSELVES where they state that this device SN is registered to our AppleID and belongs to us! Apple Tech Support doesn't care. They have an illogical checklist to fill out and no one cares to help... and no one cares that I have a $600 brick on my hand, only because Apple won't listen nor acknowledge their own system has a problem.

At this point I have spent hours on the phone. Worked this from several angles with at least 4 senior advisors and have had this escalated to iCloud engineering and the same answer... I need an Original Receipt!!

Ok, then I'll just invoke my AppleCare exchange and get a new phone.. Well today they stopped that as well. They won't honor their 'Replace for any reason' warranty!

Apple Tech people are amazed at the long list of notes and tickets on this device.. 'WOW' I heard today from one tech. Tech's have admitted that this isn't right and 'We'll take care of it', only to have it passed off and then they don't respond to email or phone calls..

So I'm stuck! Locked into a Cell plan with a phone that Apple won't honor warranty one or simply fix the issue on.

I am hoping to get awareness of this issue and see if others have been screwed in a similar way. I have received good Apple support in the past on other issues with my ipods and laptops.. But this is way over the top horrible!


This is such a simple case if Apple would just review the data and get out from their checklists, but we have not been able to find an associate with any authority to actually just make this get fixed. I simply need a new phone thru the AppleCare program that we paid for!

Ideas?

Is there a magic Apple Escalation manager or team we can work with?

Any help appreciated!
 
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nburwell said:
Sounds like it's related to this issue: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...tivation-locked-with-wrong-apple-ids.2004550/

This happened to me as well, but I was fortunate enough that I was the original owner and provided Apple the receipt. Like @Newtons Apple mentioned, unless you have the original receipt, there isn't much Apple can do.

What about the previous owner you purchased the phone from? Are they the original owner? Do they have the receipt?
Click to expand...

Even if they do not have the original copy of the receipt, if they bought it from Apple they might be able to go to the Apple site and print out the sales receipt from their purchase history.

One way of another you got to have the receipt or get the original owner to release the phone from his account.
 
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Thanks for your input, but I explained in my post that it is NOT linked to previous owner and Apple verified that in writing in Sept 2016. I understand the security features, but I have all the story, documents and explanation to show that this is not stolen. They acknowledge that it is not stolen. Then after this restore, it linked itself to some unknown account. (Not previous owner account.. we checked with them last night) Apple not accepting my receipt, they want original purchase receipt. Several Tech advisors has said they thought this was weird and it shouldn't happen, yet they won't help.
It does have to do with AppleCare in that my phone is broken and I want a replacement as I'm allowed, but Apple won't do it...
 
It may be that activation bug. Sometimes on a reset, the phone will populate with some random Apple ID not associated with the iPhone during reactivation. The only way to restore is to provide Apple with the original receipt. This seems to be a bug with their activation system. There have been a few threads here about it. A big pain for selling and buying used iPhones.

Unfortunately, the only real solution is to contact the original owner/seller to see if they can call Apple with the original receipt to reset. It's a real pain. I wish you luck.
 
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gorgedude said:
Thanks for your input, but I explained in my post that it is NOT linked to previous owner and Apple verified that in writing in Sept 2016. I understand the security features, but I have all the story, documents and explanation to show that this is not stolen. They acknowledge that it is not stolen. Then after this restore, it linked itself to some unknown account. (Not previous owner account.. we checked with them last night) Apple not accepting my receipt, they want original purchase receipt. Several Tech advisors has said they thought this was weird and it shouldn't happen, yet they won't help.
It does have to do with AppleCare in that my phone is broken and I want a replacement as I'm allowed, but Apple won't do it...
Click to expand...

Best of Luck.
 
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How does a digital copy of the original sales receipt between two other parties provide any security that the device I have in my hands is not stolen? Just to be clear, Apple says Original to mean for the very first sale of the device to the first owner, not my receipt as second owner. Is that what you all are meaning as well?
 
AppleCare+ is not a "replace for any reason warranty." It covers specific situations.

It extends the "defects in workmanship and materials" coverage to two years (from one).
It gives you two incidents of accidental damage coverage.

The situation is clear - the original seller did not remove the phone from Find My iPhone before selling it to you. That is not a defect in workmanship or materials, and it's not accidental damage.

Further, Apple requires that you remove the iPhone from Find My iPhone before accepting it for repair/replacement. Otherwise, the repair process becomes the equivalent of money laundering - people could send in stolen phones and get unlocked phones in return.

If you mean "clean" to mean that Apple ran a stolen property trace on it before selling you AppleCare... no. They would have run diagnostics on it - verified it was working before selling you that accidental damage coverage. They would have registered warranty coverage to you and whatever email address you wanted to give them. They would have sent you a certificate of coverage. They would not have checked to see if the phone was reported stolen or Activation Locked to someone else's Apple ID.

"It unexpectedly locked to someone else's Apple ID" is the equivalent of saying, "pixies did it." Sure, some sort of system bug is always a possibility, but if this is a legitimate bug, it is very rare, or it would be all over the news. Buying used iPhones that turned out to have been lost/stolen is far more common.

While I can't say for sure the person who sold that iPhone is being dishonest, it seems pretty likely. If they sold you a stolen phone (or one they found on the street), even if they honestly told you, "It's not locked to my Apple ID," that doesn't prove it isn't locked to someone else's Apple ID. If the seller can't provide you with the original bill of sale... sure, people throw away papers all the time. Or maybe they're not the original owner.

Activation Lock was introduced to make it harder to use and sell stolen iPhones. If they can't be used, they have a lower value to thieves, and (hopefully), fewer iPhones will be stolen (the risk of being caught isn't worth the money to be made). Knowledgable pawn shops, phone stores accepting trade-ins, etc. would simply check to see if a phone was Activation Locked by trying to Erase All Content and Settings, and if locked, "Remove Activation Lock, or no sale." Apple also has a web page where anyone can check to see if a phone is Activation Locked: https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/. If the professional buyers of used goods are taken out of the game, then the sellers of lost/stolen property have to find less-knowledgable buyers. Selling over the internet/mail order is the way to go. Even if they give you a serial number/IMEI number before shipping you the phone, you can't be sure the number they give you will be the actual number on the phone you receive.
 
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gorgedude said:
How does a digital copy of the original sales receipt between two other parties provide any security that the device I have in my hands is not stolen? Just to be clear, Apple says Original to mean for the very first sale of the device to the first owner, not my receipt as second owner. Is that what you all are meaning as well?
Click to expand...

It seems like you're in touch with the previous owner, so you shouldn't have a problem acquiring the receipt from them. I believe the OG owner can go to the Apple Store they purchased the phone from and get a receipt from them.

When I had to send my receipt to Apple, I just took a picture of it with my iPhone and they took a couple days to review the information before they determined they would unlock the device.

It wouldn't hurt to have the original owner work with you regarding the situation too.
 
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gorgedude said:
How does a digital copy of the original sales receipt between two other parties provide any security that the device I have in my hands is not stolen? Just to be clear, Apple says Original to mean for the very first sale of the device to the first owner, not my receipt as second owner. Is that what you all are meaning as well?
Click to expand...

While it doesn't eliminate the possibility the phone was lost/stolen property... It's very unlikely that a thief will be able to steal both the iPhone and its original bill of sale. It's incredibly unlikely that a lost phone will have the bill of sale attached to it. (Yes, original bill of sale to original owner is what we're talking about - the bill of sale between you and the person who sold it to you doesn't prove how the seller came to possess the phone.)
 
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ApfelKuchen said:
AppleCare+ is not a "replace for any reason warranty." It covers specific situations.

It extends the "defects in workmanship and materials" coverage to two years (from one).
It gives you two incidents of accidental damage coverage.

The situation is clear - the original seller did not remove the phone from Find My iPhone before selling it to you. That is not a defect in workmanship or materials, and it's not accidental damage.

Further, Apple requires that you remove the iPhone from Find My iPhone before accepting it for repair/replacement. Otherwise, the repair process becomes the equivalent of money laundering - people could send in stolen phones and get unlocked phones in return.

If you mean "clean" to mean that Apple ran a stolen property trace on it before selling you AppleCare... no. They would have run diagnostics on it - verified it was working before selling you that accidental damage coverage. They would have registered warranty coverage to you and whatever email address you wanted to give them. They would have sent you a certificate of coverage. They would not have checked to see if the phone was reported stolen or Activation Locked to someone else's Apple ID.

"It unexpectedly locked to someone else's Apple ID" is the equivalent of saying, "pixies did it." Sure, some sort of system bug is always a possibility, but if this is a legitimate bug, it is very rare, or it would be all over the news. Buying used iPhones that turned out to have been lost/stolen is far more common.

While I can't say for sure the person who sold that iPhone is being dishonest, it seems pretty likely. If they sold you a stolen phone (or one they found on the street), even if they honestly told you, "It's not locked to my Apple ID," that doesn't prove it isn't locked to someone else's Apple ID. If the seller can't provide you with the original bill of sale... sure, people throw away papers all the time. Or maybe they're not the original owner.

Activation Lock was introduced to make it harder to use and sell stolen iPhones. If they can't be used, they have a lower value to thieves, and (hopefully), fewer iPhones will be stolen (the risk of being caught isn't worth the money to be made). Knowledgable pawn shops, phone stores accepting trade-ins, etc. would simply check to see if a phone was Activation Locked by trying to Erase All Content and Settings, and if locked, "Remove Activation Lock, or no sale." Apple also has a web page where anyone can check to see if a phone is Activation Locked: https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/. If the professional buyers of used goods are taken out of the game, then the sellers of lost/stolen property have to find less-knowledgable buyers. Selling over the internet/mail order is the way to go. Even if they give you a serial number/IMEI number before shipping you the phone, you can't be sure the number they give you will be the actual number on the phone you receive.
Click to expand...

You are 100% correct, however, OP said they were using the phone for a few months until a restore was required to fix restarting issues. Either way, the original receipt of sale from Apple to the initial owner is required to reactivate at this point.
 
gorgedude said:
Ok, then I'll just invoke my AppleCare exchange and get a new phone.. Well today they stopped that as well. They won't honor their 'Replace for any reason' warranty!
Click to expand...

ApfelKuchen said:
AppleCare+ is not a "replace for any reason warranty." It covers specific situations.
Click to expand...
That is my understanding as well. I've never known it to be a "replace for any reason warranty". They actually have language in the contract that says you can't change use it for cosmetic blemishes, etc (not that I've seen them enforce that). But that seems to indicate they don't allow "replace for any reason". Hope you're able to work it out!
 
OP, is the previous owner the true original purchaser of the phone? And if you've been in contact, find out the original place of purchase, and try to acquire a reprint of original sales receipt.
 
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Understand that a original receipt 'fixes' the problem, but your all missing the point that Apple ALREADY confirmed that the original owner removed it from 'find my phone' and AppleID. It's not on their account, it's on some random account that I can't address. Yes, I'm in touch with original owner, but that doesn't mean they still have copy of a phone they sold a year ago or that they are willing to go thru the hassle to obtain again.. It is a defect in a phone that is well within Warranty period. Posters above have confirmed a known issue that is affecting my phone. I have proof of purchase, Apple has confirmed that.. but no fix provided. That's my problem.
 
Xangelkiller said:
You are 100% correct, however, OP said they were using the phone for a few months until a restore was required to fix restarting issues. Either way, the original receipt of sale from Apple to the initial owner is required to reactivate at this point.
Click to expand...

A person can use a used iPhone for months without discovering it's Activation Locked. That seems to be pretty common when phones change hands between friends and family members - they don't do a proper Erase All Content and Settings, they don't know to check the iCloud settings for a log-in... they just start using the phone as-is.

People aren't born knowing how all this stuff works, so I can't blame the victim for not knowing what to check when they buy a used iPhone. Still, if the phone was in setup mode when they received it (as it ought to be, after an honest sale), or if they knew to immediately do an Erase All Content and Settings if it wasn't in setup mode, they'd find out in a matter of moments that the phone was locked.

Sometimes a seller may say, "I didn't erase it, so you get to use all the apps I bought." Other times, "It's all setup for you, you don't have to bother with all the technical stuff." Not everybody is going to know those statements (and similar) are red flags.
 
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gorgedude said:
Understand that a original receipt 'fixes' the problem, but your all missing the point that Apple ALREADY confirmed that the original owner removed it from 'find my phone' and AppleID. It's not on their account, it's on some random account that I can't address. Yes, I'm in touch with original owner, but that doesn't mean they still have copy of a phone they sold a year ago or that they are willing to go thru the hassle to obtain again.. It is a defect in a phone that is well within Warranty period. Posters above have confirmed a known issue that is affecting my phone. I have proof of purchase, Apple has confirmed that.. but no fix provided. That's my problem.
Click to expand...

Understandable. I think this is a discouraging outlook to the future of second hand telephone sales.
 
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gorgedude said:
Understand that a original receipt 'fixes' the problem, but your all missing the point that Apple ALREADY confirmed that the original owner removed it from 'find my phone' and AppleID. It's not on their account, it's on some random account that I can't address. Yes, I'm in touch with original owner, but that doesn't mean they still have copy of a phone they sold a year ago or that they are willing to go thru the hassle to obtain again.. It is a defect in a phone that is well within Warranty period. Posters above have confirmed a known issue that is affecting my phone. I have proof of purchase, Apple has confirmed that.. but no fix provided. That's my problem.
Click to expand...

Apple isn't going to confirm that the "original owner" removed the phone from Find My iPhone. They'll simply confirm whether the phone is or is not Activation Locked.

How did that conversation with Apple go? Did you tell Apple, "The original owner said his Apple ID is xxxxxx@xxxx.com?" Did Apple reply, "Well, that's not the account the phone is locked to. As you can see on the screen, that address doesn't start with an "x," and it's not @xxxx.com."

You choose to believe the original owner's Apple ID was taken off the phone, and that some random address was added due to a bug that's Apple's fault. It's a convenient explanation for your purposes, as it would make this Apple's problem, not yours. Again, it's far more likely that the person who sold you the phone did not tell the whole truth.
 
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gorgedude said:
Understand that a original receipt 'fixes' the problem, but your all missing the point that Apple ALREADY confirmed that the original owner removed it from 'find my phone' and AppleID. It's not on their account, it's on some random account that I can't address. Yes, I'm in touch with original owner, but that doesn't mean they still have copy of a phone they sold a year ago or that they are willing to go thru the hassle to obtain again.. It is a defect in a phone that is well within Warranty period. Posters above have confirmed a known issue that is affecting my phone. I have proof of purchase, Apple has confirmed that.. but no fix provided. That's my problem.
Click to expand...
Yes, it could be due to some issue like the one mentioned at https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...tivation-locked-with-wrong-apple-ids.2004550/ or something similar. However to deal with it (whether the Activation Lock is legitimate or not basically) the procedure is the same, at least so far, and requires the original receipt, among other things.
 
Yes, if what you're stating is accurate then it sounds like a bug in their icloud activation lock.
And there's nothing else you can do about it besides getting the original receipt from the person who sold you the phone and stay in touch with Apple.
Nothing else can bypass this issue
And the situation has nothing to do with your thread title "Apple Not honoring Apple care warranty"
They are honoring their anti theft security measure policy not to work or offer any services to icloud locked devices unless certain requirements are met.
 
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This has happened to
Me as well. When I received my iPhone 7, I (the original owner of my 6s+, preordered) reset all content and settings of my 6s+ to send to a family member. After the reset, it powered on locked to an unknown Apple ID. nothing I'd ever heard of. I had to present Apple with the original receipt which was easy as I preordered it from Apple. Still didn't make any sense and this is a terrible bug for people that have legitimately bought used iPhones.
 
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Here's what most of you don't get. The OP got AppleCare+ registered on his name along with the iPhone that was purchased. That should automatically prove to them that he is the owner as they don't just let you apply for AC+ on any phone without prior proof/approval that the phone legitimately belongs to the OP.
 
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borgsauce said:
Here's what most of you don't get. The OP got AppleCare+ registered on his name along with the iPhone that was purchased. That should automatically prove to them that he is the owner as they don't just let you apply for AC+ on any phone without prior proof/approval that the phone legitimately belongs to the OP.
Click to expand...
So what proof would they use for that?
 
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