Apple says they don't provide battery service to watches for a fee due to normal degradation.. Yet this is on their site??

[Tachanka]

It's a policy to prevent abuse.

While you pay $79 for a new battery, what you are really getting is basically a new watch. Apple doesn't replace the battery in an Apple Watch.

Now they need to trace a line somewhere, if not, everyone could basically get a new watch for $79.

Have some scratch on yours? No problem, pay $79 for a "battery replacement" and get a new unscratched one.

Worn down = < 80%

I agree but they need to state this on their repair site. Also maybe Apple should actually have a way to service the battery rather than providing a replacement.

This would be challenging due to the compact and sealed nature of the Watch but it seems kinda wasteful. I think it is better to repair then replace.

Apple Now Able to Repair an iPhone 12 Pro's Cracked Rear Glass Without Replacing the Entire Device -​

Apple Now Able to Repair an iPhone 12 Pro's Cracked Rear Glass Without Replacing the Entire Device

Last month, MacRumors reported that Apple was introducing a new same-unit repair method for iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 models exhibiting certain...

www.macrumors.com

 

[Tachanka]

Apple has made strides in reversing the trend of wasteful repair. Rather than requiring a whole top case replacement because the battery was so glued to it, the new MacBook Pros have pull tab adhesive

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New MacBook Pros Have Battery Pull Tabs for Easier Do-it-Yourself Battery Replacements, Says iFixit​

New MacBook Pros Have Battery Pull Tabs for Easier Do-it-Yourself Battery Replacements, Says iFixit

iFixit has shared a teaser of its 14-inch MacBook Pro teardown, and one noteworthy detail is the inclusion of pull tabs for the battery cells, which...

www.macrumors.com

 

[Night Spring]

This would be challenging due to the compact and sealed nature of the Watch but it seems kinda wasteful. I think it is better to repair then replace.

It's not like they throw away the Watch you send in. They most likely refurbish it and give it to the next person who asks for a "battery replacement." Obviously, because the watch is so small and compact, you can't replace the battery without basically refurbishing the whole watch. It's just that they don't keep track of which Watch belongs to who as it goes through the refurbishing process.

 

[Tachanka]

It's not like they throw away the Watch you send in. They most likely refurbish it and give it to the next person who asks for a "battery replacement." Obviously, because the watch is so small and compact, you can't replace the battery without basically refurbishing the whole watch. It's just that they don't keep track of which Watch belongs to who as it goes through the refurbishing process.

They dont throw it away obviously but why don't they just give the owner their original Watch with a new battery? To reduce the amount of time the process takes for the customer I assume?

 

[Night Spring]

They dont throw it away obviously but why don't they just give the owner their original Watch with a new battery? To reduce the amount of time the process takes for the customer I assume?

Yes. I have no idea how long it takes to refurbish the watch, but it's definitely faster to keep a stock of refurbished watches around and hand one out when a battery replacement request comes in.

 

[jz0309]

Yes. I have no idea how long it takes to refurbish the watch, but it's definitely faster to keep a stock of refurbished watches around and hand one out when a battery replacement request comes in.

yes, you get your refurb within 2 days so they are stocked in the US, and since the refries get new case and glass and battery, I suspect the actual refurb process is done in China. Otherwise you have to keep inventory of the new parts as well as labor locally and I bet that is way more expensive

 

[Ram65]

This is what I thought would happen.
But this is the second time my watch has been sent back. After a nearly hour long call with support, the person I was speaking to said they only provide battery service if it is below 80% capacity or if it fails diagnostics. My watch is at 87% capacity and passed diagnostics so it was sent back.

Your watch at 87% health is more than good you don’t need a new battery

 

[Tachanka]

Your watch at 87% health is more than good you don’t need a new battery

I am willing to pay the fee and it wasn't made clear on Apple's site or from support that it was different than for iPhones and Macs. Both of which I have replaced batteries above 80%.

Ill also refer back to a comment I made earlier on this thread:

I want it replaced. Performance is not the best and I am willing to pay for a replacement. I wanted an OEM battery on a 2009 MacBook Pro in early 2014 and the employees tried to talk me out of it despite it have a "Service Now" warning and having over 600 cycles on it.

 

[hmorneau]

I am willing to pay the fee and it wasn't made clear on Apple's site or from support that it was different than for iPhones and Macs. Both of which I have replaced batteries above 80%.

Ill also refer back to a comment I made earlier on this thread:

I want it replaced. Performance is not the best and I am willing to pay for a replacement. I wanted an OEM battery on a 2009 MacBook Pro in early 2014 and the employees tried to talk me out of it despite it have a "Service Now" warning and having over 600 cycles on it.

You are willing to pay the fee, fine, pay for a Watch replacement then which should be close to $400. You can ask Apple about the possibility to do that, I'm sure it could be done.

$79 battery replacement is only for batteries that NEED to be replaced that are under 80%.

P.S. the fact that you don't agree with the policy won't change anything. Arguing with us about what you would like it to be, is useless at best. You wanted to understand, people here explained as best as they could.

 

[Tachanka]

You are willing to pay the fee, fine, pay for a Watch replacement then which should be close to $400. You can ask Apple about the possibility to do that, I'm sure it could be done.

$79 battery replacement is only for batteries that NEED to be replaced that are under 80%.

Please refrain from commenting if it does nothing to add to conversation. This post is about vague wording on Apple's Support site and the failure of Apple Support over the past few weeks.

It is 3 year old watch LOL And it is $299 out of warranty fee if I wanted to do that. I literally got a Titanium Series 5 for $320 LOL I got a ceramic Series 2 for $400 in 2017.




My chat with Apple Support last week.

 

[hmorneau]

Please refrain from commenting if it does nothing to add to conversation. This post is about vague wording on Apple's Support site and the failure of Apple Support over the past few weeks.

It is 3 year old watch LOL And it is $299 out of warranty fee if I wanted to do that. I literally got a Titanium Series 5 for $320 LOL I got a ceramic Series 2 for $400 in 2017.




My chat with Apple Support last week.
View attachment 1929175

I would bet that chat agent was tired as well arguing with you. So they direct you to a store to do a "battery replacement" knowing very well the battery can't be replaced and even less so in a store.

Keep us posted on how your "in-store battery replacement" is going.

P.S.: Buying a secondhand watch and requesting a "battery replacement" to get a new one from Apple won't work, as you now know.

 

[Tachanka]

I would bet that chat agent was tired as well arguing with you. So they direct you to a store to do a "battery replacement" knowing very well the battery can't be replaced and even less so in a store.

Keep us posted on how your "in-store battery replacement" is going.

What is the purpose of you commenting on this post? Seriously? Other commenters have pointed out everything you said before in a better way.

I never got mad at support staff because it is ambiguous from their end as well. In two weeks I talked to several advisors and it took escalating the issue to confirm. In fact I wouldn't have tried had it said directly on the site that battery replacement over 80% of original capacity is not supported under Apple's policies. Which sucks compared to the Mac and the iPhone but oh well life goes on.

 

[Tachanka]

You are willing to pay the fee, fine, pay for a Watch replacement then which should be close to $400. You can ask Apple about the possibility to do that, I'm sure it could be done.

$79 battery replacement is only for batteries that NEED to be replaced that are under 80%.

P.S. the fact that you don't agree with the policy won't change anything. Arguing with us about what you would like it to be, is useless at best. You wanted to understand, people here explained as best as they could.

It is less that I want the policy to change more that existing policy, with regards to battery replacement due to normal degradation, needs to be more effectively communicated through their site. Which right now it isn't.

 

[3Rock]

OP. You are beating a dead horse on this forum. Arguing back-and-forth with members is not gonna help one bit. Apple is not going to change their stance on this so get on with life.

 

[Tachanka]

OP. You are beating a dead horse on this forum. Arguing back-and-forth with members is not gonna help one bit. Apple is not going to change their stance on this so get on with life.

I just don't like wasting my time and I wouldn't have wasted my time had Apple posted their parameters for battery service due to normal degradation for the watch on their site.

I just feel the need to respond to some of the sycophants on this thread.

P.S.: Buying a secondhand watch and requesting a "battery replacement" to get a new one from Apple won't work, as you now know.

I have owned this Series 4 since launch not sure what you are on about. As stated before I'm currently using a 5 year old Series 2 Edition just fine. I have never done or even attempted battery service on a Watch before this. Only batteries I have had Apple replace were iPhones and MacBooks.


This whole post is less about Apple performing the service and more the misleading and ambiguous language on their site.

 

[Saturn007]

Tachanka is 100% right. Apple's statement is deeply flawed. As worded, it absolutely says that owners can ask for and pay for a battery replacement at any time. The other sentences being quoted “against” him about the 80% level are explicitly tied to getting a *free* replacement IF the Watch is Apple Care. That's NOT his situation.

Several people have misread his remarks. He's never asked that Apple change its policy, or give him a FREE replacement. He either wants Apple to honor what's stated — that a consumer can PAY for a battery replacement at his discretion — or, that Apple should update its language to make its policy crystal clear, and remove its flaws. Namely, it should insert a clause that states “Apple only replaces out-of-warranty batteries if they are below 80%.”

Tachanka has a legitimate grievance. In certain countries, consumer law would back his right to pay for a replacement without regard to the 80% level given how Apple worded this. The only reason that Tachanka has been persistent in this thread is because some people have misread and misunderstood his point.

 

[NoBoMac]

OP. You are beating a dead horse on this forum. Arguing back-and-forth with members is not gonna help one bit. Apple is not going to change their stance on this so get on with life.

This.