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Apple Says $29 Battery Replacements Are One-Per-iPhone When Device Passes Diagnostic Test

PG(Austin) said:
I totally disagree. The OS sent to an iPhone 6 is not the same one sent to an iPhone X. The X has stuff the 6 doesn't since the hardware is different so the files will be specific. Otherwise, why would there be a point at which the iOS can't be upgraded? When the OS reaches a point old hardware can no longer use it, the updates stop. I don't have first hand knowledge or technical knowledge about iOS but I would think the 6 would only update the OS with a version that is compatible with its hardware and capabilities and not just load crap it couldn't use. That's just not how updates/upgrades work. After changing my battery at an Apple store in my 6, it was almost like new again. Before that, I could not get it to last more than 2-4 hours reporting random battery percentages and doing certain tasks would cause the phone to shut off.

To say we can't expect a device to run as good on a NEW OS as it did on an OLD OS is just BS. It should run better or the same. The hardware inside doesn't know it's out dated!
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Yes every new feature in an iOS update is new phone specific - there are absolutely no changes made to the iOS that would make the newer system more demanding for older phones. AR Kit works on iPhone X only and therefore an iPhone 6 should perform even better on a newer iOS compared to an older one.

The 200+ changes/features Apple's highlights with any new iOS version have no impact on older phones whatsoever - I need to revise my statement and fully agree with you. It is all BS I said before.
 
pdxmacster said:
Yes, just got back from my Genius Bar appointment to get my iPhone 6 battery replaced and it seems all pretty fishy... and they really make people go through hoops. It took about 30' after my scheduled appointment time (at 2pm) before a technician was finally available to see me. He ran the diagnostics test and then proceeded with a long-winded script telling me that my 2-year old battery actually still looked pretty decent and passed their test and that I should consider first re-installing the OS from scratch to see if that might take care of the battery performance and clock-speed throttling issues I have been experiencing overnight, after Apple semi-forced me to install iOS 11, about a month ago. The guy was polite and acknowledged that they would honor the $29 replacement, but then kept coming back with all type of arguments for holding off on a battery replacement, including the fact that I would have to reschedule another appointment, the chance that all my data might get accidentally wiped in the process, etc.

It felt like borderline car salesman tactics and it left a bad taste in my mouth, especially after I witnessed an older gentleman - across the Genius table from me - being talked out of replacing his current battery in his iPhone 6 by another technician, who was rattling off the same script, telling him how his battery still showed some life and advising against replacing it. The old man left the Apple store visibly perplexed and confused. I felt sorry for him, because I am sure he will now have to continue to deal with a crippled iPhone, that throttles down the clockspeed to 600Mhz as soon as you hit the 50% battery level.

The Genius Bar technician who "helped" me, ultimately made one more final attempt at making me decide to hold off on a battery replacement. He told me that the diagnostics results might indicate that a new battery might ultimately not do anything to address the performance issues I have been dealing with since upgrading to iOS 11. In response, I told him: well, if my phone still shows the same lackluster performance with a brand-new battery, at least I'll have pretty definitive proof that Apple is forcing OS upgrades onto their customers, which their 2-year old devices can't adequately run. And, in that case, I know that - after 9 years of being a loyal iPhone user - it's time to look at what other vendors have to offer.

Overall, I feel like Apple could have avoided this whole mess if they wouldn't be so heavy-handed in trying to make customers with older devices to upgrade to the latest OS version. Or at least allow people to go back to the previous version of iOS, the way they allowed it in the past (both for iOS and iTunes). This whole episode feels embarassing for a company that has done so much to build tremendous trust and loyalty from its customers... Yes, other vendors have been dealing with embarassing issues, but - to be honest - this debacle ressembles much more VW's dieselgate than Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 nightmare, which makes it all even more troubling.
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That is terrible. I am guessing after all that, they said there is no battery in stock, which means they will repeat the same pitch when you go in to do it again. Someone should record their pitch and then sue them.
 
The change of battery will only repel the problem. At next ios with a battery of a few months the iPhone will be slow again. What is needed is to leave the choice to stay or return to the original iOS, the one designed for the device.


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The batteries should be free. The batteries are faulty to begin with. Apple can afford to pay for the replacements.
 
Abazigal said:
You still don’t get it. A toggle doesn’t make sense from Apple’s perspective because this isn’t something most consumers are going to have enough information on to make an informed decision about whether they want to prioritise stability or performance.

The whole point of Apple is that they take the tough choices out of the hands of the consumers and we trust them to make the right decisions for us. And as with any singular decision forced upon its users, some people are going to be on the losing end more than others. But this works for many users because for them, the decision made by Apple is going to better than whatever they end up making anyways, and they save themselves the time and hassle of agonising over which decision to make.

If you don’t like this “my way or the highway” attitude of Apple, then maybe the Apple ecosystem isn’t the right one for you. It’s like going to a French restaurant and complaining that they don’t serve cheeseburgers.
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You’re very right. And this is why I am gradually exploring and settling into Android, in addition to iOS. I’m finding the user interface of iOS isn’t simple and intuitive where it needs to be and not complex and nuanced enough where I want it to be...yet. Fortunately, these things are always in development. I won’t necessarily abandon iOS for Android, which has its own considerable drawbacks, but at least I’ll understand my choices better.

Getting back on topic, the one-discounted battery replacement per iPhone seems reasonable enough. They didn’t say they would not replace a replacement at discount if it fails the diagnostic. However so many anecdotes indicate batteries that seem to be malfunctioning for the customer routinely pass the diagnostic test anyway. I can’t help but wonder why that is. That needs looking into, next.
 
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magbarn said:
Unfortunately we've got too many posters here who believe Apple buys special "magical" batteries that no one else uses and that they pay 10x more for them.
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And installed by fairies with magic dust.

Can't you clearly see that even at $79, Apple is losing money?
 
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mi7chy said:
iPhone battery blows up while being replaced in-store injuring Apple Genius employee and six other people. Maybe the throttling isn't so bad if it prevents an explosion until a safety recall is announced.

https://9to5mac.com/2018/01/09/zurich-apple-store-evacuation/
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What an overreaction. I purposely stab my worn lipos with an ice pick and then throw them in a salt water bath for fun. The fireworks are awesome. These are big 6 cell 5000mah batteries
 
pdxmacster said:
Sounds almost exactly like what happened to me today at my appointment. Now waiting for an email to let me know when they will be able to effectively replace my battery. They told me 2 weeks, but not holding my breath... While sitting at the Genius Bar first waiting for a technician to run their test and then having to listen to said tech rattling off his script about first doing a full reinstall of the OS before making the rash decision of replacing my battery, all while witnessing several other customers around me subjected to the same car salesman pitch, I realized this was the first time I was in an Apple Store and felt like I was at a "sorry place", like said car dealership or a Verizon store, where you can't wait to get out and have to cut through all the sleezy sales talk to get a straight answer to your questions.
[doublepost=1515485296][/doublepost]
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After going through the same ridiculous procedure last week for my wife's iphone 6+, I got a call today that the battery will not be available until April. April. WTF?
 
pdxmacster said:
Yes, just got back from my Genius Bar appointment to get my iPhone 6 battery replaced and it seems all pretty fishy... and they really make people go through hoops. It took about 30' after my scheduled appointment time (at 2pm) before a technician was finally available to see me. He ran the diagnostics test and then proceeded with a long-winded script telling me that my 2-year old battery actually still looked pretty decent and passed their test and that I should consider first re-installing the OS from scratch to see if that might take care of the battery performance and clock-speed throttling issues I have been experiencing overnight, after Apple semi-forced me to install iOS 11, about a month ago. The guy was polite and acknowledged that they would honor the $29 replacement, but then kept coming back with all type of arguments for holding off on a battery replacement, including the fact that I would have to reschedule another appointment, the chance that all my data might get accidentally wiped in the process, etc.

It felt like borderline car salesman tactics and it left a bad taste in my mouth, especially after I witnessed an older gentleman - across the Genius table from me - being talked out of replacing his current battery in his iPhone 6 by another technician, who was rattling off the same script, telling him how his battery still showed some life and advising against replacing it. The old man left the Apple store visibly perplexed and confused. I felt sorry for him, because I am sure he will now have to continue to deal with a crippled iPhone, that throttles down the clockspeed to 600Mhz as soon as you hit the 50% battery level.

The Genius Bar technician who "helped" me, ultimately made one more final attempt at making me decide to hold off on a battery replacement. He told me that the diagnostics results might indicate that a new battery might ultimately not do anything to address the performance issues I have been dealing with since upgrading to iOS 11. In response, I told him: well, if my phone still shows the same lackluster performance with a brand-new battery, at least I'll have pretty definitive proof that Apple is forcing OS upgrades onto their customers, which their 2-year old devices can't adequately run. And, in that case, I know that - after 9 years of being a loyal iPhone user - it's time to look at what other vendors have to offer.

Overall, I feel like Apple could have avoided this whole mess if they wouldn't be so heavy-handed in trying to make customers with older devices to upgrade to the latest OS version. Or at least allow people to go back to the previous version of iOS, the way they allowed it in the past (both for iOS and iTunes). This whole episode feels embarassing for a company that has done so much to build tremendous trust and loyalty from its customers... Yes, other vendors have been dealing with embarassing issues, but - to be honest - this debacle ressembles much more VW's dieselgate than Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 nightmare, which makes it all even more troubling.
Click to expand...

I can't wait for them to try and pull this shenanigans with me once they get the replacement battery in stock. I'm ready to set them straight and they will replace my battery.
 
1) I assume the iPhone SE I purchased in March 2017 qualifies for the $29 replacement?

2) I assume 20 months of usage (March 2017 - November 2018) is enough to justify dropping the $30 on a new battery, no?
 
neoelectronaut said:
1) I assume the iPhone SE I purchased in March 2017 qualifies for the $29 replacement?

2) I assume 20 months of usage (March 2017 - November 2018) is enough to justify dropping the $30 on a new battery, no?
Click to expand...
Wait for the update and until then, see if you have been throttled. Regardless, it is probably best you replace it in October 2018.
 
Today I had an appointment with the Genius Bar because my iPhone 6's performance had degraded and the battery would not hold a charge. Before we got going the tech told me there was probably nothing wrong with my phone that a wipe and reinstall wouldn't fix, and almost all of the people who had come in for the $29 replacement did not need a new battery. Then he ran battery diagnostics which verified that my battery was indeed "exhausted" and needed to be replaced.

The problem is -- according to the genius and his manager -- that there are no longer any iPhone 6 batteries, anywhere, at any Apple store, and they don't know when they are going to have them. "Could be a few months..." the tech said.

I asked what they recommended...they suggested a Morphie battery pack....at full retail.

I said I'd get a 3rd party battery installed, they warned that anything other than an Apple battery was likely to damage my phone.

I asked if they had loaners. No loaners. Or if they'd like to sell me an iPhone 7 at a reasonable discount. No discount.

I suggested that if Tim Cook needed an iPhone 6 battery someone would assuredly find him one. They laughed and pointed out that was because Tom Cook was the CEO. I did not laugh. I have run my own business and managed to not lose sight of the fact that the individual customer outranked me.

TL;DR: Apple does not have batteries for the iPhone 6. Apple cannot support a current iPhone with the appropriate battery. Apple will not do anything to alleviate the inconvenience they have created for the customer...and they give every indication that they just don't care. Mind boggling.

I started giving my money to Apple with the first iMac. Since then I've owned six Mac laptops, four desktops, three iPhones, and have been responsible for moving two corporate marketing departments from Windows to Mac. Until my 2013 MBP, my expectations had always been exceeded. It was good while it lasted.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

1/11/18 Update: I contacted Apple corporate and got through to Customer Support where I explained my situation (phone close to failing). Without making me jump through hoops the representative gave me two options: (1) Go to head of line when the first shipment of batteries comes in, or (2) no-cost replacement of phone now with a like-configured iPhone 6. I went with #2 as I have business travel coming up and can't risk my phone dying. This solved the issue to my satisfaction and I now plan to stick with Apple for my next phone (I was prepared to buy an LG this week if Apple did not come through). Ultimately I am satisfied, but believe the solution could/should have been implemented at the Apple Store.

TL;DR Apple made it right
 
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Burger Thing said:
A 3000 mAh battery Lithium battery can be bought online for around 4 USD these days. Just in case if you were wondering if the 79 USD are reasonable. Thanks.
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$79 for the installation sounds fair to me. It's even better that they throw in the battery for free.
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smacrumon said:
The batteries should be free. The batteries are faulty to begin with. Apple can afford to pay for the replacements.
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Why do you think the batteries are faulty? Do you know of some battery technology that lasts forever?
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Sedulous said:
I’m not personally asking Apple to do anything but it appears many people are outraged that Apple’s solution to power supply is to throttle device when peak power is insufficient. It isn’t a “feature” that was advertised and Apple is very fussy about 3rd party repairs. That leaves customers in a bind. $80 is an outrageously inflated price. I have been doing battery replacements in iOS devices for years and charge no more than $30. Considering Apple has vastly better sourcing than I do, they should be able to offer $30 replacements.

Again, I do not take issue with throttling when peak power is too low. Simply of the opinion that Apple’s battery service should have always been $30 and done in store in less than 20 mins.
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I'm very interested in your cost structure for this $30 service. How much of the $30 goes to your health insurance benefit? What percentage goes to vacation and holiday pay? If you have to lay yourself off, do you pay yourself severance, and how do you calculate it? Did you allocate some of that $30 to cover your training, and initial hiring costs? Did you write up a training manual for yourself? How much of the $30 goes to pay for your physical facility, including operational costs? Is your workplace OSHA compliant?
 
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Gasu E. said:
$79 for the installation sounds fair to me. It's even better that they throw in the battery for free.
[doublepost=1515555260][/doublepost]

Why do you think the batteries are faulty? Do you know of some battery technology that lasts forever?
[doublepost=1515556313][/doublepost]

I'm very interested in your cost structure for this $30 service. How much of the $30 goes to your health insurance benefit? What percentage goes to vacation and holiday pay? If you have to lay yourself off, do you pay yourself severance, and how do you calculate it? Did you allocate some of that $30 to cover your training, and initial hiring costs? Did you write up a training manual for yourself? How much of the $30 goes to pay for your physical facility, including operational costs? Is your workplace OSHA compliant?
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I will not offer details but it is likely Apple pays maybe $2 for a battery. The job takes less than 20 mins and in experienced hands... less than 5 mins. Actual parts costs and including labor are near $8. Charging $80 represents a hefty profit margin. Everything Apple does has a massive profit margin and that is why the company is extremely wealthy. Without getting into details, I can do the job for $30 because my business comfortably operates at less than 1000% profit margin... as do most other businesses.
 
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Sedulous said:
I will not offer details but it is likely Apple pays maybe $2 for a battery. The job takes less than 20 mins and in experienced hands... less than 5 mins. Actual parts costs and including labor are near $8. Charging $80 represents a hefty profit margin. Everything Apple does has a massive profit margin and that is why the company is extremely wealthy. Without getting into details, I can do the job for $30 because my business comfortably operates at less than 1000% profit margin... as do most other businesses.
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What about something like an oil change for a car? Or house cleaning? Or plenty of other things that are cheap if not practically free (in the sense of money) when done on your own but cost money that can be of different amounts depending on who you go to for those services?
 
UL2RA said:
This is barely making a dent in Apple's resources.
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Incorrect. And No, they are wasting resources. (Which doesn't have to be in the sense of monetary) I would suggest re-reading what that member posted. Because when you have those who are failing to actually research if their battery would qualify for a possible $29 replacement, and they're waiting in line at Apple stores wasting time for other employees that could be assisting customers who actually are in need of a battery replacements, that's called wasting resources. Ignorance to the issue doesn't give customers a pass when they assume versus research the battery recall first.
 
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Relentless Power said:
Incorrect. And No, they are wasting resources. (Which doesn't have to be in the sense of monetary) I would suggest re-reading what that member posted. Because when you have those who are failing to actually research if their battery would qualify for a possible $29 replacement, and they're waiting in line at Apple stores wasting time for other employees that could be assisting customers who actually are in need of a battery replacements, that's called wasting resources. Ignorance to the issue doesn't give customers a pass when they assume versus research the battery recall first.
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I’m sure everyone with an iPhone 3g thru iPhone 7 will be trying to get a new battery for $29. Most won’t check how to qualify, they’ll just assume it’s any iPhone
 
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