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

[npmacuser5]

iPhone 7 starting to become a real lemon. I forked over 60 dollars for batteries that were clearly defective on 15 month old phones. My wife complains about she talks I do not often hear on the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 has issues with weak LTE, another annoying problem. We get the shoulder shrug when asking about the issues.

The next annoying thing, my three year old MacBook needs a new battery, $200 to fix it and at least 7 days no use. I have the annoying keyboard keys issue also. Shoulder shrug when asking about the keyboard. Pay us for the batteries.

Apple clearly has some design issues impacting product longevity and cost to repair.

 

[rgbrock1]

Apple had a track record of great customer service.....

There. I corrected that part of the article for you. Free of charge as well!

 

[npmacuser5]

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?

Why I have been a loyal Apple customer, quality products with excellent longevity. May I remind you, we already pay a significant upcharge for Apple products. And their extended warranty has significant costs both in initial price and All the deductibles they apply to many repairs for one year hardware warranty.

 

[gavroche]

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.
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That reaps millions in repairs - genuis
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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.

That's not the way the world works? What are you talking about? That's exactly the way the world works. Yes, products come with a standard warranty. Yes, this varies from company to company (and country to country). Yes, most offer the option to purchase extended warranty. Yes, most people decline the option to purchase an extended warranty. Please tell, which of those things I said is untrue?

 

[djdrah]

Former apple employee who's seen the light...

I still use OS X on my hackintosh, but i probably won't be purchasing these products any longer. Time to switch!

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

That's not the way the world works? What are you talking about? That's exactly the way the world works. Yes, products come with a standard warranty. Yes, this varies from company to company (and country to country). Yes, most offer the option to purchase extended warranty. Yes, most people decline the option to purchase an extended warranty. Please tell, which of those things I said is untrue?

In the UK and EU, there is an expectation that products should last 5 to 6 years.
Shops are now giving people extended warranties without cost. TVs from John Lewis and Richer Sounds come with warranties of 5 and 6 years. After "infant mortality" period items should last an extended period of time, especially those without moving parts.e.g. Washing machines. Several far east car manufacturers give up to 7 year warranties. Those that have confidence in their products and quality control.
[doublepost=1545168498][/doublepost]

Former apple employee who's seen the light...

I still use OS X on my hackintosh, but i probably won't be purchasing these products any longer. Time to switch!

It is important to understand that any "bend gate" issues don't have to have the phone bent beyond the recovery point. It just needs bending and flexing regularly. The phones don't have to have a permanent deformation.

 

[emceegrath]

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

Completely false. The screen is not glued to the battery. The microphone in question-- which is one of three, the bottom mic, the receiver ("top") mic, and the rear mic-- is part of a receiver fixture which is screwed, not glued, to the screen and is capable of being replaced separately on most iPhone models.

$300 is, last I checked, the out-of-warranty cost for a new iPhone 7 at Apple, so I suspect they're doing whole unit swaps. That seems to back up the theory that it's a logic board problem, as the other parts are all replaceable for much cheaper.

 

[gavroche]

In the UK and EU, there is an expectation that products should last 5 to 6 years.
Shops are now giving people extended warranties without cost. TVs from John Lewis and Richer Sounds come with warranties of 5 and 6 years. After "infant mortality" period items should last an extended period of time, especially those without moving parts.e.g. Washing machines. Several far east car manufacturers give up to 7 year warranties. Those that have confidence in their products and quality control.
[doublepost=1545168498][/doublepost]
It is important to understand that any "bend gate" issues don't have to have the phone bent beyond the recovery point. It just needs bending and flexing regularly. The phones don't have to have a permanent deformation.

You, and the gentleman I commented to, are getting into a discussion of what you feel should be the case, and in some jurisdictions what they do differently.
Yes, here too their is an “implied warranty of merchantability”, and you are free to sue if you think a product you purchased should last a certain time period. It’s then up to a jury of your peers to decide what a reasonable person would expect it to last. And this is rarely done, as the cost of doing so is prohibitive, unless you are talking about a high dollar amount item.
Aside from that path, you are given a stated warranty period for a product, in writing, at the time of purchase. If you think it’s not reasonable, you have the option to forego that product in favor if a different one. This is where my point of accepting personal responsibility comes in. You chose to buy something with a stated warranty. You chose to decline purchasing a longer one. If it then has issues outside of warranty... we’ll...

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

You, and the gentleman I commented to, are getting into a discussion of what you feel should be the case, and in some jurisdictions what they do differently.
Yes, here too their is an “implied warranty of merchantability”, and you are free to sue if you think a product you purchased should last a certain time period. It’s then up to a jury of your peers to decide what a reasonable person would expect it to last. And this is rarely done, as the cost of doing so is prohibitive, unless you are talking about a high dollar amount item.
Aside from that path, you are given a stated warranty period for a product, in writing, at the time of purchase. If you think it’s not reasonable, you have the option to forego that product in favor if a different one. This is where my point of accepting personal responsibility comes in. You chose to buy something with a stated warranty. You chose to decline purchasing a longer one. If it then has issues outside of warranty... we’ll...

You refer to "here too" but I don't know where that is. However, in the UK there is a legal protection for 5 or 6 years depending on which country you live in.
This is for latent manufacturing faults, not issues due to wear and tear or maltreatment. The TV is the perfect example of a product that sits in the corner and wear and tear type issues do not apply unless there is clear external damage. That's why we are now getting these 5 if 6 year warranties on tvs. Refrigerators are another good example. Door seals may suffer wear and tear but the compressor should just keep on working.
Here is an article for your perusal. It is from 2014, but that is about the time this came to the attention of the public. Since then, consumer rights have improved even more.

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/money-saving-tips/11296784/Shops-accused-of-denying-six-year-warranty-right.html

 

[gavroche]

You refer to "here too" but I don't know where that is. However, in the UK there is a legal protection for 5 or 6 years depending on which country you live in.
This is for latent manufacturing faults, not issues due to wear and tear or maltreatment. The TV is the perfect example of a product that sits in the corner and wear and tear type issues do not apply unless there is clear external damage. That's why we are now getting these 5 if 6 year warranties on tvs. Refrigerators are another good example. Door seals may suffer wear and tear but the compressor should just keep on working.
Here is an article for your perusal. It is from 2014, but that is about the time this came to the attention of the public. Since then, consumer rights have improved even more.

www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/money-saving-tips/11296784/Shops-accused-of-denying-six-year-warranty-right.html

I refer to here as being the US. While it’s well know that European countries have longer warranties (AppleCare, for example, is longer in a lot of countries than it is in the US... as required by local law). But here in the US it’s done differently. They don’t try to force everything into a 5-6 year window. It depends entirely on the product. The legal principal is what a “reasonable” person would think is right.
For example, a reasonable person would expect a $4 flashlight purchased at Harbor Freight to last a week. But a new Refrigerator might be expected to last ten years. It all depends on the product. And even for the same product, it varies based on purchase price. A reasonable person shouldn’t expect a $30 tv tablet to last as long as a $1000 tv, for example. Clearly for that lower price you would expect cheaper components.
Lawmakers here don’t want to be in the business of trying to come up with a huge table of warranty lengths. Nor do they want to pick an arbitrary longer term, like 6 years. Because they realized it increases prices. If a manufacturer has to warranty for such a longer period, they obviously must sell it for a higher price to cover those increased costs. I read all the time on here people in Europe complaining about the higher prices they pay for Apple prices. And they think it should only be altered by the exchange rate. Only a handful seem to recognize that those required warranties are one of many favors that result in higher prices. Why would anyone think it costs a business then same to sell a product that they must cover for six years as it does for one year.

 

[dukebound85]

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.

I’m curious to what are your thoughts regarding product recalls? Such as those in every industry, not just here.

I mean I just had a free recall service done on a 18 year old pickup due to what the manufacturer decided was outside the bounds of a typical warranty period issue.

I feel this is a similar thing. Also, why does it bother you that apple is doing this?

 

[Gilligan's last elephant]

I read all the time on here people in Europe complaining about the higher prices they pay for Apple prices. And they think it should only be altered by the exchange rate. Only a handful seem to recognize that those required warranties are one of many favors that result in higher prices. Why would anyone think it costs a business then same to sell a product that they must cover for six years as it does for one year.

Apple prices in the UK are just ripping off people here.
$999 US price less tax is £999 with 20% Vat.
Not a good exchange rate.

However, Samsung Note 9 for example is listed as $999 less tax in USA, and listed as £899 with 20% Vat in UK. £100 to the better. That must mean that Samsung has better confidence of their products reliability than Apple has of theirs. The same is true of other non US companies. Kitchenaid is another US company that charges ridiculous prices in the UK.
And for general purchases from the likes of Curry's, which is probably similar to Best Buy, if they also sell kitchen appliances large and small, I would expect everything I buy from Curry's to still work after 6 years.

EDIT: You may have noticed in the article that they generally frown on manufacturers' extended warranties.

 

[C DM]

That's not the way the world works? What are you talking about? That's exactly the way the world works. Yes, products come with a standard warranty. Yes, this varies from company to company (and country to country). Yes, most offer the option to purchase extended warranty. Yes, most people decline the option to purchase an extended warranty. Please tell, which of those things I said is untrue?

What does that have to do with something that is basically along the lines of a design defect or a manufacturing flaw?

 

[macizcool]

I’m curious to what are your thoughts regarding product recalls? Such as those in every industry, not just here.

I mean I just had a free recall service done on a 18 year old pickup due to what the manufacturer decided was outside the bounds of a typical warranty period issue.

I feel this is a similar thing. Also, why does it bother you that apple is doing this?

I just feel there is a lot of bellyaching over a phone. It’s life, and I accept that all electronics are bound to fail sooner rather than later. I’ve been an Apple customer most of my life, and have mostly positive experiences.

If we don’t like Apple’s build quality or service, let’s switch to another brand and vote with our wallets. All of the complaining, blog posts, and class action lawsuits in the world will ever mean more than falling sales.

Also, a recall on a vehicle is different, because that’s a safety concern.

 

[C DM]

I just feel there is a lot of bellyaching over a phone. It’s life, and I accept that all electronics are bound to fail sooner rather than later. I’ve been an Apple customer most of my life, and have mostly positive experiences.

If we don’t like Apple’s build quality or service, let’s switch to another brand and vote with our wallets. All of the complaining, blog posts, and class action lawsuits in the world will ever mean more than falling sales.

Also, a recall on a vehicle is different, because that’s a safety concern.

And with all that there are still such things as manufacturer defects or design flaws that do get recalls (even beyond safety) or some type of repair programs. It's not all just one extreme or another, there's plenty in-between as well.

 

[iMacC2D]

Former apple employee who's seen the light...

Same. 8 years in hardware service. Resigned and leaving in January. Couldn't stand the thought of working with them another year. Partially because of management, partially the culture. The noticeable decline in quality control didn't help either.

 

[dilbert99]

That's not the way the world works? What are you talking about? That's exactly the way the world works. Yes, products come with a standard warranty. Yes, this varies from company to company (and country to country). Yes, most offer the option to purchase extended warranty. Yes, most people decline the option to purchase an extended warranty. Please tell, which of those things I said is untrue?

In the countries that I have lived in extended warranties are mainly a rort. In the countries that I have lived in, if a product fails which is usually within the warranty period you take it back.
If it fails outwith the warranty period, you are usually better off self warranting the product, but not always. Depends on if the company supplying the warranty is rorting you.

If I save all the money I could spend on warranties, I save money paying for the things that fail.

I just take objection to the fact that you seemed to blame the consumer for products not lasting long, thats what I meant about thats not the way the world works - in hindsight it was probably the wrong choice of words that I chose.

 

[ksec]

Apple prices in the UK are just ripping off people here.
$999 US price less tax is £999 with 20% Vat.
Not a good exchange rate.

However, Samsung Note 9 for example is listed as $999 less tax in USA, and listed as £899 with 20% Vat in UK. £100 to the better. That must mean that Samsung has better confidence of their products reliability than Apple has of theirs. The same is true of other non US companies. Kitchenaid is another US company that charges ridiculous prices in the UK.
And for general purchases from the likes of Curry's, which is probably similar to Best Buy, if they also sell kitchen appliances large and small, I would expect everything I buy from Curry's to still work after 6 years.

EDIT: You may have noticed in the article that they generally frown on manufacturers' extended warranties.

Apple needs to rework its pricing structure. It old Pricing structure is US Centric, how much are we going to charge in US, and use that as baseline with oversea being slightly more expensive due to exchange rate and Tax.

I think Apple needs to take account into Global Sales Tax difference as well as importing Tax when it is making its pricing. The example here with Samsung makes things much better.

 

[Amcbain17]

Apple needs to make up for lackluster Xr/Xs sales somehow.

Yuuup. It’s no coincidence that it happened right after iOS 12.0+
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Y’all are going to be so upset when they report their numbers in January.

Why are you caping so hard for Apple?

 

[C DM]

Yuuup. It’s no coincidence that it happened right after iOS 12.0+

Except that this all happened prior to iOS 12 was released (and before the new phones were even announced).

 

[Amcbain17]

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.

It is actually a combination of a hardware and software defect. The recent iOS does a “hardware check” that it didn’t do in the past. If Apple didn’t remove the ability to downgrade to previous iOS versions, we would see a lot of people have this issue resolved. But they conveniently removed this feature.
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Except that this all happened prior to iOS 12 was released (and before the new phones were even announced).

But it is occurring in a wider scale. Just look at their discussion boards. They continuously delete anyone’s posts if they bring up the issue.

 

[C DM]

It is actually a combination of a hardware and software defect. The recent iOS does a “hardware check” that it didn’t do in the past. If Apple didn’t remove the ability to downgrade to previous iOS versions, we would see a lot of people have this issue resolved. But they conveniently removed this feature.
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But it is occurring in a wider scale. Just look at their discussion boards. They continuously delete anyone’s posts if they bring up the issue.
[doublepost=1546020899][/doublepost]Check out this petition about this. Look at all of the signatures and comments that users wrote about this continuous issue.
https://www.change.org/p/apple-tell...ty-to-downgrade-ios-software-on-apple-devices

None of that seems to change the timeline of it all or that there's really nothing to connect it to new phones or anything like that.

 

[Baymowe335]

Yuuup. It’s no coincidence that it happened right after iOS 12.0+
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Why are you caping so hard for Apple?

Because it's funny when people base their opinions on nothing but blind disdain and realize later they were wrong when facts are revealed.

Plus, I'm a shareholder.

 

[Amcbain17]

Because it's funny when people base their opinions on nothing but blind disdain and realize later they were wrong when facts are revealed.

Plus, I'm a shareholder.

By telling me that you’re just further proving your bias...
And nothing about what I said is blind disdain, Ive always been an advocate for Apple but they aren’t exempt from critism when they do things like this. I’ve been doing phone repairs for some time now so I know the ins and outs of these devices. I doubt you know very much about the workings of them.

 

[LordVic]

Apple needs to rework its pricing structure. It old Pricing structure is US Centric, how much are we going to charge in US, and use that as baseline with oversea being slightly more expensive due to exchange rate and Tax.

I think Apple needs to take account into Global Sales Tax difference as well as importing Tax when it is making its pricing. The example here with Samsung makes things much better.

They sure should. You should see Canada's pricing from Apple. think Exchange + 5% across the board. Problem is, Canadians don't on average make 35% more than Americans (very similar cost of living and mean incomes). Yet Apple thinks they can use the exchange rate to prop up foreign margin rates in their US$ accounting.

we tend to talk a lot about Apple's prices as being high, even in US$. But the CAD pricing is pushing themselves out of the market.

That new $1100 MBA? $1,499 CAD
the iPhone Xs at 999? $1,379 CAD
iPad Pro at $799?, nope, actually $999 CAD
MacBook Pro 13 at 1,299? Nope, actually 1,729.. also, same price for the MacBook

then when you tack on 13% sales tax on top, then any extended warranties like Applecare, you're not walking out the door without spending 1500-2000 on the lowest end Apple offers.

Apple's international pricing is a mess.