Apple Still Charging Customers Over $300 for iPhone 7 Microphone Defect Despite Previously Offering Free Repairs

[gavroche]

Take responsibility? Uh...are you kidding me? Did any of Apple’s customers seeking a fix here build the phone? No. Did they write the software? No. So how is it other people’s responsibility to make up for what is obviously a hardware defect? How about Apple take responsibility for the choices they made in design, suppliers, build...whatever is causing the problem? There’s an idea.

Why should someone have to pay even more money to a company just to cover the manufacturer’s own defects? How about a company build quality products and stand behind their work instead? What a concept.

I cant speak to the specific defect in this case. I am speaking generally to people who VOLUNTARILY CHOOSE TO NOT BUY EXTENDED WARRANTIES... and then complain when it has issues out of warranty.
But why even have a conversation with people like you... you have already reached conclusions about the "facts" in this case... and clearly aren't even capable of having a rational conversation about it.
[doublepost=1545087119][/doublepost]

apple has a good track record of getting class action suited then addressing it you mean

All large companies have lots of lawsuits. As far as companies go, not many are bigger than Apple. As someone that's been using Apple products since before many of the members here were even born, I've had opportunity to deal with Apple in regards to warranty issues on a number of occasions. I've had them cover issues that they didn't have to cover. And I've been a member of this forum over a decade, and seen many people here discuss similar service. I can honestly say that in my whole life I've never had a different company make warranty coverage as painless.

 

[FeBo]

We have to be careful about these news. We don’t know the real cause of the troubles, we don’t know if there was a misunderstanding in the chain of command, we don’t know all the circonstances in fact. Let see if this news go bigger and if it causes a reaction on Apple side.

 

[Tech198]

I still think if a Apple local store can't give you free repair, try and make them, it might work.. or try elsewhere... Some may be better than others.

But if there is not cause listed, then that doesn't mean its false... it could just mean Apple doesn't know either "at this stage"

 

[mi7chy]

Reading the posts here genuinely makes me sad for humanity. We've developed into such an entitlement country. There is an option to buy extended warranty coverage... which some opt to buy, and some do not. And people apparently seem to think if you opt not to, it's someone else's fault.... and "greed." Everyone else should have to help pay for your choice, in the form of higher prices, right?
Any electronic product... especially when talking about billions of them... are going to have occasional issues. That is why warranties, and extended warranties, exist. If you decide to take the risk... and not pay to buy the extended warranty... that is your fault. Take responsibility for your own choices.

Forward to 8:23 but it's best to watch the whole video.

 

[Lone Deranger]

It’s no surprise they pulled the repair program. Apple initially thought it was software related to iOS 11.3. But later discovered it is actually a logic board defect related to bending that will cost them a lot.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/...er-loop-disease-boot-loop-hangs-on-apple-logo

Until Apple faces a class action like touch disease, they won’t repair for free.

Wow! There it is. MacRumors' Joe Rossignol should update the article with a link to this video.

 

[mi7chy]

This repair video clearly shows what the defect is with a critical trace having separated from the main board.

 

[erniefairchild1]

$300 is a steep price to repair/replace a microphone and not something a customer should pay if it is indeed a defect. I can understand if a person drops or caused damage to pay for repair. I expect the phone to last at least 3 yrs and not having to purchase an extended warranty to cover within this time period. If it doesn't last past 3 yrs, why would I want to buy from the same company?

It’s not $300 to replace the mic (although that actually is what Apple would charge for a mic failure, because they don’t do modular repairs for mics, they replace the whole unit which stinks). This specific issue is a logic board problem which causes a healthy mic to just not function. The roughly $300 is the flat rate for iPhone repair, which covers logic board “repairs” (replacements, in the end).

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

But why even have a conversation with people like you... you have already reached conclusions about the "facts" in this case... and clearly aren't even capable of having a rational conversation about it.

Oh the irony. And yeah, you won’t get far with me using a “people like you” ad hominem attack. Doesn’t fly with me.

I cant speak to the specific defect in this case. I am speaking generally to people who VOLUNTARILY CHOOSE TO NOT BUY EXTENDED WARRANTIES... and then complain when it has issues out of warranty

This story wasn’t about the general topic of extended warranties. It was about a specific defect that people are observing and Apple’s different responses to it.

 

[macizcool]

Some of us choose to protect our devices and purchase AppleCare, and the rest of you want Apple to pay for the repair for free. Who are you calling greedy?

 

[dukebound85]

Some of us choose to protect our devices and purchase AppleCare, and the rest of you want Apple to pay for the repair for free. Who are you calling greedy?

It’s a manufacturer defect. Of course Apple should pay for it

 

[macizcool]

It’s a manufacturer defect. Of course Apple should pay for it

If it’s a manufacturer defect, Apple will take responsibility for it. Their list of quality programs are proof of that, and I’m sure they want to reduce legal liabilities. Outside of that, all electronics come standard with a 1-year limited warranty, and any repairs outside of that are the consumer’s responsibility. To ask for a free out-of-warranty repair is not fair to those of us who purchased AppleCare.

My opinion on this issue is Apple found evidence that the problem is caused by mishandling by the user. I can’t think of another reason they would stop repairing the issue for free.

 

[dazz87]

How can a microphone repair cost $300? The new microphone probably costs $5. What's the rest for? Ecosystem?

Cause the Microphone is glued onto the screen which is glued to the battery...So all 3 will need to be replace.....

 

[drewyboy]

Legit question: Why, if a hardware issue, does it seem to come to fruition when iOS is updated to 11.3 or higher? I'm genuinely curious b/c I'm on 11.2.x now and hesitant to update.

Because the update requires a power cycle. Some of the articles that mention this have repairs center discuss it, and they say that your phone may already be broken but it won't be recognize until it does a power cycles and does the power on diagnostic check.

 

[I7guy]

If it’s a manufacturer defect, Apple will take responsibility for it. Their list of quality programs are proof of that, and I’m sure they want to reduce legal liabilities. Outside of that, all electronics come standard with a 1-year limited warranty, and any repairs outside of that are the consumer’s responsibility. To ask for a free out-of-warranty repair is not fair to those of us who purchased AppleCare.

My opinion on this issue is Apple found evidence that the problem is caused by mishandling by the user. I can’t think of another reason they would stop repairing the issue for free.

The issue could, i guess, be due to misuse. But the way this article is written doesn’t put apple in a good light.

 

[falainber]

Cause the Microphone is glued onto the screen which is glued to the battery...So all 3 will need to be replace.....

Great design!

 

[dilbert99]

Apple's marketing and customer service deserve a very very rude awakening ...

I tend to find their customer service is above average, which is just as well since most of my phones have been replaced several times, I'm beginning to think that Apples phones don't fair well in hot climates. But charging for defective microphones is crass.
[doublepost=1545119988][/doublepost]

Great design!

That reaps millions in repairs - genuis
[doublepost=1545120704][/doublepost]

Reading the posts here genuinely makes me sad for humanity. We've developed into such an entitlement country. There is an option to buy extended warranty coverage... which some opt to buy, and some do not. And people apparently seem to think if you opt not to, it's someone else's fault.... and "greed." Everyone else should have to help pay for your choice, in the form of higher prices, right?
Any electronic product... especially when talking about billions of them... are going to have occasional issues. That is why warranties, and extended warranties, exist. If you decide to take the risk... and not pay to buy the extended warranty... that is your fault. Take responsibility for your own choices.

Thats not the way the world works. You buy a product and you expect it to work for a reasonable amount of time.
The more premium the product, the longer you expect it to work.
The warranty is built in to the cost of the device.
For a long time extended warranties were a rort for companies to make money.
It makes more sense for the warranty to be build in to the product price.
If the company does not stand behind the reliability or cost of repair of the device then people won't buy from them.

 

[udjat]

This is not an OS problem. It is hardware, and requires the U3101 audio IC to be replaced along with a C12 jumper. I know, because the company I work for does them every single day, regardless of OS. If it was an OS issue, a fix could be issued, but it's not.

The only solution is to replace the IC and do the jumper to ensure it doesn't happen again. Apple do not have the ability to do this quickly and at large scale, so they would rather overcharge the customer than admit the real fault which would cause them to be sued.

If it’s hardware-based, why is the issue typically occurring only after the phone is updated? With it working just fine before, but then not after.

 

[HacKage]

Legit question: Why, if a hardware issue, does it seem to come to fruition when iOS is updated to 11.3 or higher? I'm genuinely curious b/c I'm on 11.2.x now and hesitant to update.

The only thing I can think of is during the upgrade process, it forces the phone to check every part of the hardware and if there is an issue, it disables it. Phones that have this problem take around 5 minutes to boot up, so there is some sort of hardware checks being made each and every time it boots.
[doublepost=1545126320][/doublepost]

Like touch disease, even if the device is replaced, there is no guarantee this problem won't return down the road. Replacement units are refurbished so it's unlikely the logic board design has been changed.

Exactly. Like most of the other Apple hardware issues that merited a replacement right back to the 2011 MBP logic boards, they have a design flaw that will require a whole redesign or rework.
[doublepost=1545126419][/doublepost]

If it’s hardware-based, why is the issue typically occurring only after the phone is updated? With it working just fine before, but then not after.

As with my answer above, I think it is down to what hardware checks are made in the software upgrade process, or a driver change. If it really was just a software issue, there is absolutely no way that Apple would not have released an upgrade to rectify it when they released an upgrade for the China Qualcomm issue within a couple of days.
[doublepost=1545126454][/doublepost]

From what you've seen, is it only affecting 7's? I've been getting told the mic on my X isn't good either (hollow, muffled calls). Wondering if it was more than one gen of phone.

It is limited to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus as far as I know. The iPhone 8 does not exhibit these issues.

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

We will see. Too often some alleged problem comes to light, and people flock to bash Apple before even knowing all the facts. Count how many times in the first 20 posts the word greed was used. Tells you all you need to know. If it does end being some bad defect, Apple has a good track record of addressing it.
But even in the article you linked to, it mentions coming loose from normal wear and tear. One would think if it was such a serious design flaw that far more people would have issues, right? Just in the last month some major other "defect" was mentioned here... and 4 hours later Apple pushed out a software update that fixed the problem.
I just wish people would know all the facts before judging.

From the Louis Rossman video demonstrating him fixing the issue and reports from other repair shop owners, this is an issue resulting from the inherent bendiness of the frame of the phone. If the phone bends reguarly, the internal pcb is experiencing regular bending. Specific areas of the pcb will be affected more than others. E.g. A particular capacitor or a trace. Now this may only affect a relatively small number of phones but it still results from a latent design issue. Apple are responsible for fixing latent design faults.
Similarly in iPhone6 , the ic responsible for touch screen was being flexed.

 

[Momof2.1107]

Some of us choose to protect our devices and purchase AppleCare, and the rest of you want Apple to pay for the repair for free. Who are you calling greedy?

What about those devices that were preordered and delivered on launch day and had AppleCare+ added? They would be out of warranty by now. Do you think they still should pay? I have a 7+, that had AppleCare+ expire on Halloween this year, and I have a feeling that mine will have this issue eventually. I barely use my device so it wouldn’t be due to misuse. I don’t think I should have to pay for this defect when I paid outright for my device for it to last beyond 2 years.

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

The video is actually another one of Apple's latent design faults, not the one concerning faulty microphone. This one is the audio codec bootloop problem. I believe flexing of the phone pcb again was the root cause.


EDIT: This is actually another manifeststion of the same Mike issue. Some just get stuck on the initial screen and others eventually start up with Mike issue.

[doublepost=1545142263][/doublepost]

This repair video clearly shows what the defect is with a critical trace having separated from the main board.

 

[cfountain72]

I don't know if you know this, but it kind of works like this in a lot places.

You go to a store buy a pack of smokes, you ask for a lighter, the store says it costs $1 for the lighter, some people pay, some people complain, but if you ask nicely they might just give it to you for free!

There are tons of places where people will bend to rules a little if you are nice about. If you call this using a "cheat code" life is full of them!

The assessment if your mic is broken, if it is broke, it cost X amount because the tablet will tell them so. The Genius assessment is correct. It's broken, it costs $X amount. But since you were so nice, Genius goes to his/her manager and gets it overridden. Otherwise there are like a dozen people waiting!

Fair enough, but I don't think the service we receive as customers for these defects should be at the whim of the mood of the particular employee we are assigned to work with. Should I really have to play the 'Can I speak to your Manager?' card? In this particular case, the policy should be consistent across stores and employees.

 

[ksec]

All these Apple quality issues, refuse to acknowledge, and charging outrageous pricing for repair is getting ridiculous.

 

[avanpelt]

All these Apple quality issues, refuse to acknowledge, and charging outrageous pricing for repair is getting ridiculous.

Out-of-warranty repairs done by Apple have always been pricey. That's nothing new. What boggles my mind in this instance is that they had an active repair program for this issue for what -- 60 days, tops? That has to be the shortest duration repair program they've ever offered. I'd really like to know why it was shut down so quickly.

 

[Roger67]

At the Apple Store, I have seen two types of customers
1) DYIWIA types who get turned down every time.
2) Nice people who get free out of warranty repairs all the time. Just get a manager to override cost.

If you’re nice to the Genius and they reflect this to the manager most of the time you’ll get the repair done free of charge.


I avoid calling them because you don’t know who you’re talking to and the other person is bound by some sort of rules they can’t break or they’ll get reprimanded.

It's not just a smartphone. Apple makes you live right. In addition to testing forbearance and humility there are tests for self-reliance with workarounds, sacrifice by overpaying, faith despite not having the latest technology, and more.