Apple Sued Over Swollen Batteries in Apple Watches

[paul4339]

Because it's a wrist watch which means it dings the desk, things when you walk by to close, etc. just like any watch. I'd consider this normal wear and tear depending on the extent of the dings.

I can't speak for everyone, but wouldn't consider a bunch of dings like that all over the an Applewatch 'normal' after 9 months. Dinging the desks don't normally creates dents... maybe accidentally dinging it again cement or something.

IMHO, that watch face looks beat up.

 

[Crowbot]

Unfortunately, this is beginning to become the norm with Apple. If they would just build the watch to be able to be serviced from the standpoint of the battery, it would eliminate this problem. The screen is only held down by a thin adhesive but I guess everything is just held together with adhesive these days. I now take a little more care not to get my watch wet after working on replacing a battery in one. I love the Apple watch but I would not purchase anything but the cheaper aluminum sport model.

The general rule is that things are designed for easy assembly or easy repair (disassembly). An Apple watch is just too compact to use screws. Same with AirPods.

OTOH, I would love for the back of my 27" iMac to be removable (10-15 screws would do it) for cleaning. But Jony doesn't like screws. They spoil the "lines". I'd rather not have to slice the tape off twice a year.

 

[Baymowe335]

Yawn...another isolated issue and a frivolous lawsuit that will go nowhere.

 

[edgonzalez32]

If it's not working, return/replace it, why sued? Just another greedy money grab.

Did you read the post? It already says in that they tried doing that already.

 

[Tummy]

This happened to my Series 0 stainless Apple Watch I ordered and got on day 1. The screen detached due to the swollen battery but was still working. Apple wouldn't fix it, but would replace it for $2XX. I paid over $700 and 3 years later have to throw it away because they couldn't or wouldn't change the battery? The other Apple Watch, the aluminum version, we ordered at the same time hasn't swollen up and works fine to this day.

I have all Apple everything in our house, but this made me really mad. I walked out but later went back and bought a Series 4 stainless for around $900 including tax. I hope I get more than 3 years out of it. I'll be joining the class action. All I wanted them to do was to replace the battery and reattach the screen.

 

[jerryk]

Apple could fix this easily. Just put in a battery with half the capacity and half the thickness, or make the case twice thicker. Sure it would either require charging twice a day or wearing a brick on your arm. But what'd want?

 

[jonnyb098]

Really? How do you explain the MacBook Air swollen batteries under Jobs then?

Because people have selective memory. Tons of stuff happened under jobs that was less than desirable (MOBILE ME). How easily people forget. That what happens when outrage is the new currency.

 

[Crowbot]

This happened to my Series 0 stainless Apple Watch I ordered and got on day 1. The screen detached due to the swollen battery but was still working. Apple wouldn't fix it, but would replace it for $2XX. I paid over $700 and 3 years later have to throw it away because they couldn't or wouldn't change the battery? The other Apple Watch, the aluminum version, we ordered at the same time hasn't swollen up and works fine to this day.

I have all Apple everything in our house, but this made me really mad. I walked out but later went back and bought a Series 4 stainless for around $900 including tax. I hope I get more than 3 years out of it. I'll be joining the class action. All I wanted them to do was to replace the battery and reattach the screen.

Did they give you a technical reason why they wouldn't fix it for free?

 

[44267547]

So someone filed a lawsuit against Apple? Big deal. Fact is, there are some watches that will experience the battery swelling, and it’s not necessarily a widespread issue, it’s more sporadic at best. Apple will acknowledge it, replace the watch without any cost to the customer. Multiple members in this thread Have already mentioned that their previous watches that had battery swelling, they were replaced under warranty.

It’s not necessarily about a product being perfect in every which way, it’s about the customer service standing behind the product, that’s why Apple has such a strong credibility with their customer service.

 

[Tummy]

Did they give you a technical reason why they wouldn't fix it for free?

No, other than it was out of warranty and past the extension. In my opinion, you shouldn't design and sell a $699 watch that becomes useless in a few years with very light use. I could have bought any number of regular watches that would last the rest of my life with battery replacements.

 

[JetTester]

Another class action lawsuit based on one person's experience with the product, vaguely applied to "many". If they win, I hope she doesn't get anything more than the $229 quoted to fix her watch.

 

[drumcat]

I had my Series 1 replaced twice for this issue (no cost). My watch was perfectly taken care of, thank you very much. It literally just made a subtle pop while driving, and the screen was separated.

If it happens again, I'm likely SOL, but watches should not be disposable, and certainly not for several hundred $. I have my grandfather's pocket watch, which is pushing 100 years old, still works. Seems like the battery paradigm should change to something almost like an SD card that can be replaced.

100 year old watch... I'm sure you'd be willing to wind a watch enough to have all-day bluetooth, right?

 

[Tummy]

So someone filed a lawsuit against Apple? Big deal. Fact is, there are some watches that will experience the battery swelling, and it’s not necessarily a widespread issue, it’s more sporadic at best. Apple will acknowledge it, replace the watch without any cost to the customer. Multiple members in this thread Have already mentioned that their previous watches that had battery swelling, they were replaced under warranty.

It’s not necessarily about a product being perfect in every which way, it’s about the customer service standing behind the product, that’s why Apple has such a strong credibility with their customer service.

They refused to fix mine for free. You know it's widespread when they have an extended warranties for all of them for 3 years. I didn't want to spend $229 to get it replaced since it's worth maybe $50 when working.

Original:
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/28/original-apple-watch-repairs-extended/

Series 2:
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/04/14/apple-watch-s2-swollen-battery-service-policy/

 

[Karllake]

Did they give you a technical reason why they wouldn't fix it for free?

I had the same issue and they simply stated that the apple 3 year repair extended warranty had expired. Only by pushing the matter did they later agree that under EU law the extended warranty can go up to 6 years where the manufacturer is clearly at fault, the point is that apple know this is a problem and aren’t doing nearly enough to make it clear and easy for people to get repairs, they had a repair program but put a time limit even though in the EU this isn’t legal, the batteries are faulty and repairs should be complete for all customers without all the hassle
[doublepost=1554239267][/doublepost]

So someone filed a lawsuit against Apple? Big deal. Fact is, there are some watches that will experience the battery swelling, and it’s not necessarily a widespread issue, it’s more sporadic at best. Apple will acknowledge it, replace the watch without any cost to the customer. Multiple members in this thread Have already mentioned that their previous watches that had battery swelling, they were replaced under warranty.

It’s not necessarily about a product being perfect in every which way, it’s about the customer service standing behind the product, that’s why Apple has such a strong credibility with their customer service.

You do not know what you’re talking about and apple customer service is digital, it is either amazing or absolutely horrendous, you clearly haven’t experienced the latter..

Good luck to the lawyers on this one as some elements of apple will only wake up to this type of problem when it hits the bottom line.

 

[batmccoy]

New Jersey resident Gina Priano-Keyser has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Apple this week in U.S. district court, accusing the company of fraudulent business practices and breach of warranty related to the Apple Watch, according to court documents accessed by MacRumors.

Apple Watch with display popped off and swollen battery via Shawn Miller​

Priano-Keyser alleges that all Apple Watches up to and including Series 4 models are prone to a defect that results in the lithium-ion battery swelling and causing the screen to "crack, shatter, or detach from the body" of the watch "through no fault of the wearer, oftentimes only days or weeks after purchase."

The plaintiff believes that Apple either knew or should have known that the Apple Watch models were defective before selling them, adding that they pose "a significant safety hazard to consumers" -- a "number" of which have suffered "cuts and burns" as a result of the scratched, shattered, or detached screens.

Apple has acknowledged the possibility of swollen batteries in select Apple Watch models in the past, and offered free repairs up to three years after purchase. However, the complaint alleges that the company often attributes the issue to "accidental damage" and thus "refuses to cover repairs" under warranty.

Priano-Keyser states that she purchased an Apple Watch Series 3 in October 2017. In July 2018, while charging, she alleges that the screen "unexpectedly detached" from the watch's body and cracked. Her daughter "pushed the screen back into place," but the Apple Watch has been "unusable" ever since.

The plaintiff booked a Genius Bar appointment in August 2018, but upon inspection, she alleges that Apple denied to repair the Apple Watch free of charge under warranty and instead quoted her an out-of-warranty fee of $229 for service.

The plaintiff's damaged Apple Watch Series 3​

The complaint cites over a dozen similar experiences described by users on the Apple Support Communities over the past few years.

Priano-Keyser is seeking damages in an amount to be proven at trial for herself and all others similarly situated. The proposed class includes all residents of New Jersey who are current and former owners of all models and sizes of the Apple Watch Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 purchased in New Jersey.

The complaint was filed by Shepherd, Finkelman, Miller & Shah, LLP, the same law firm that filed a nearly identical class action lawsuit regarding the swollen Apple Watch batteries in California back in June 2018. That case was tossed by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in January due to being "vague."

"Plaintiff's description of the alleged defect identifies only the consequences of the alleged defect (i.e., cracking, shattering, or detaching), but is notably silent on identifying the defect that causes such consequences," Judge Koh stated.

The lawsuit in New Jersey addresses this by attempting to identify a cause.

"Upon information and belief, the Defect is caused by aging or otherwise faulty li-on batteries, or by defective internal components of the Watches that regulate temperature, electrical currents, charging, and other mechanisms that could affect the Watches' li-on batteries," the complaint states.

It remains to be seen if the New Jersey case proceeds to trial or is also tossed.

Full complaint is embedded after the break...

Click here to read rest of article...

Article Link: Apple Sued Over Swollen Batteries in Apple Watches

[doublepost=1554239335][/doublepost]Wow over 12 case in a few years. That's so much. Not.

This isn't a lawsuit, it's a return for new watch issue.

 

[PrismaticRealms]

This just happened to my 1st gen Apple Watch this past weekend. Apple is charging me $99 CDN to repair (the price of the battery) but they are actually replacing the whole watch, not just replacing the battery/gluing the screen down.

 

[BryanJ]

Apple's batteries have been doing this since the beginning.

 

[44267547]

They refused to fix mine for free. You know it's widespread when they have an extended warranties for all of them for 3 years.

Saying it’s ‘widespread’ is Anecdotal at best, you have no quantitive data showing how many people are affected by the expanded battery. I gather there are those who are affected, but for the millions of Apple Watches sold/produced, you don’t know how many are affected or not. I can make the counter argument for all the individuals I know with Apple Watch has never experienced a swollen battery.

 

[Tummy]

Saying it’s ‘widespread’ is Anecdotal at best, you have no quantitive data showing how many people are affected by the expanded battery. I gather there are those who are affected, but for the millions of Apple Watches sold/produced, you don’t know how many are affected or not. I can make the counter argument for all the individuals I know with Apple Watch has never experienced a swollen battery.

If it wasn't widespread they would not have issued an extended warranty program for these specific problems, just ignored the complaints or handled them in a one-off manner.

 

[44267547]

apple customer service is digital, it is either amazing or absolutely horrendous, you clearly haven’t experienced the latter...

Apples customer service is ranked extremely high and has been legendary for years, its one the reasons they’re so successful as a company. Others might have had not so good experiences, but for the majority, there’s no reason not to believe that Apple hasn’t extended the hand when trying to work with those who have had swollen batteries. Don’t try to push the narrative that Apple has ‘horrendous’ customer service, when it’s complete opposite in most cases.
[doublepost=1554239822][/doublepost]

If it wasn't widespread they would not have issued an extended warranty program for these specific problems

Point being, there’s no number specifically showing how many people are or are not affected by swollen batteries. At least Apple has a plan in place to help those who have had issues, and I’m willing to believe for the majority, (which you can frequent the Apple Watch forums on this site), have had assistance from Apple with that battery swelling. It’s better to have a course of action to rectify these types of issues then pretend they don’t exist at all. What more do you want Apple to do? They already acknowledged it.

 

[venusboy]

What is with all the people defending Apple here? My friend’s AppleWatch swelled up after two years and they wouldn’t replace as it was no longer under warranty. They told him to buy a new one.

 

[Tummy]

Apples customer service is ranked extremely high and has been legendary for years, its one the reasons they’re so successful as a company. Others might have had not so good experiences, but for the majority, there’s no reason not to believe that Apple hasn’t extended the hand when trying to work with those who have had swollen batteries. Don’t try to push the narrative that Apple has ‘horrendous’ customer service, when it’s complete opposite in most cases.

I'm a shareholder and believe in the mission. I have tons of apple products all the way from the 20th Anniversary Mac, 2013 Mac Pro, 2018 iMac Pro 18 core, stacks of old MacBook Pros, every single iPhone they've made, every version of iPad.

I'm not afraid to say that this is poorly designed, doesn't live up to their standard and they should do something about it. Maybe offer to provide a credit on a new one or just replace the battery and glue the screen back on. $229 for a repair on a 3 year old $699 watch is ridiculous and insulting.

 

[HobbesInVA]

Because people have selective memory. Tons of stuff happened under jobs that was less than desirable (MOBILE ME). How easily people forget. That what happens when outrage is the new currency.

How quickly we forget about Antennagate?

https://www.businessinsider.com/live-apple-iphone-4-antennagate-press-conference-2010-7

 

[Karllake]

Apples customer service is ranked extremely high and has been legendary for years, its one the reasons they’re so successful as a company. Others might have had not so good experiences, but for the majority, there’s no reason not to believe that Apple hasn’t extended the hand when trying to work with those who have had swollen batteries. Don’t try to push the narrative that Apple has ‘horrendous’ customer service, when it’s complete opposite in most cases.

I didn’t make any point or suggestion on the quantity of amazing to horrendous cases, simply that just because customer care is ‘generally’ good does not mean that some (and too many) examples fall far below this standard, I am pushing no narrative other than an objective point that apple is not all unicorns and candy floss, despite what some other ‘narratives’ would have us believe

 

[TriBruin]

This happened to me. I took it to an Apple store and they replaced it. If she was under warranty I’m quite skeptical Apple refused to replace it.

I actually have no doubt she ran in to the same issue. I had the face of my S3 pop off on an airplane. I was lucky I found it and realized what had happened. You could see the battery had expanded. When I went in to the store, they agreed and said they would send it out for repair/replacement. However, two days later the service center sent me an email claiming user abuse (with "pictures" that they claim proved the abuse). I had to fight through two different supervisors to get them to honor the warranty. While I did get the watch replaced eventually, Apple tried to deny my claim. As a consumer I shouldn't have to fight for a warranty claim.