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Apple Sued Over Swollen Batteries in Apple Watches

Radon87000 said:
The list of bad news from Apple continues unabated. This is what happens when we have a bean counter CEO.
Click to expand...
ALmost every product is having issues with overheating due to bad design.

I guess Apple quality control is not what it used to be anymore.
 
Another one of those stories without much detail, leading everyone to project their own biases into it.
  • Banging the watch shouldn’t swell the battery, so blaming the user for a battery failure lacks basis.
  • I don’t see any evidence that the battery swelled up other than the users claim, so assuming Apple isn’t honoring their warrantee lacks basis.
  • Suing on the response from one so-called “Genius” is a little trigger happy.
  • The "Genius" is an Apple employee and Apple bears some responsibility for their actions.
  • Suing if denied proper service for a legitimate failure is a reasonable course of action, even if I may not spend that energy myself.
  • If this is accepted as a class action, the woman described will probably get a discount on a new watch if she wins. The lawyer will put their kids through college.
  • There is a percentage of bad batteries out there. Apple should take responsibility for failed parts.
  • There is a percentage of bad batteries out there and users should understand there’s a chance they need a repair.
  • If there is other damage to the watch beyond the bad battery, Apple is not responsible for covering it as part of the battery repair.
  • If the battery failure is in anyway related to water damage due to mistreatment of the watch, Apple is not responsible for it.
  • My good fortune with Apple products doesn’t preclude others from bad luck.
  • A few people among millions having bad luck doesn’t indicate systemic problems.
  • It’s easy to laugh at frivolous lawsuits and ignore the fact that someone feels aggrieved.
  • It’s easy to rage at a company overlooking a customer and take a lawsuit more seriously than we should.
  • Apple being a wealthy corporation has no bearing on their responsibilities in supporting their customers. It neither requires them to do more, nor excuses them for doing less.
  • Apple being a wealthy corporation both makes them a magnet for lawsuits and affects the public’s empathy with their case.
 
Didn't read the entire article ...

But there's probably a few millions in damages in there due to the emotional stress this has caused -_-
 
The display is designed to “pop” off if the battery expands due to failure, rather than exploding on your wrist. Apple are quite happy to replace them if the flattery fails like this.
 
I had this same issue with my First Generation apple watch.. It made it exactly 2 days after the apple care and then the battery swelled and popped the screen up and off. My wife's watch had the same issue 2 months prior to mine (they were purchased at the same time)... However, Apple did extend the Battery coverage for 3 years due to people experience that issue and replaced all of ours free of charge and without headaches.

Seeing they didn't have the same SS42mm for me they gave me a series 2 which was even better. So replaced for free and got lucky by getting a free upgrade out of. Can't complain there lol

Hopefully our Series 4 won't have this issue, but who knows.. seems to be a trend that has been happening right around 2-3 year mark (Would hope it isn't happening to everyone)
 
Analog Kid said:
Another one of those stories without much detail, leading everyone to project their own biases into it.
  • Banging the watch shouldn’t swell the battery, so blaming the user for a battery failure lacks basis.
  • I don’t see any evidence that the battery swelled up other than the users claim, so assuming Apple isn’t honoring their warrantee lacks basis.
  • Suing on the response from one so-called “Genius” is a little trigger happy.
  • The "Genius" is an Apple employee and Apple bears some responsibility for their actions.
  • Suing if denied proper service for a legitimate failure is a reasonable course of action, even if I may not spend that energy myself.
  • If this is accepted as a class action, the woman described will probably get a discount on a new watch if she wins. The lawyer will put their kids through college.
  • There is a percentage of bad batteries out there. Apple should take responsibility for failed parts.
  • There is a percentage of bad batteries out there and users should understand there’s a chance they need a repair.
  • If there is other damage to the watch beyond the bad battery, Apple is not responsible for covering it as part of the battery repair.
  • If the battery failure is in anyway related to water damage due to mistreatment of the watch, Apple is not responsible for it.
  • My good fortune with Apple products doesn’t preclude others from bad luck.
  • A few people among millions having bad luck doesn’t indicate systemic problems.
  • It’s easy to laugh at frivolous lawsuits and ignore the fact that someone feels aggrieved.
  • It’s easy to rage at a company overlooking a customer and take a lawsuit more seriously than we should.
  • Apple being a wealthy corporation has no bearing on their responsibilities in supporting their customers. It neither requires them to do more, nor excuses them for doing less.
  • Apple being a wealthy corporation both makes them a magnet for lawsuits and affects the public’s empathy with their case.
Click to expand...

Your first statement is right on the money - but not only do some people project their own bias into the the issue, they often ignore or don't bother to even read the facts that are there, and then they just show how stupid they are when they respond.

This has been an ongoing problem where many Apple stores are not applying the resolution consistently, and so some people got this taken care of properly as a defective battery and others are blamed for the issue and denied a resolution without paying half the cost of the watch that is under warranty. People have reported sitting there doing nothing and the screen cracks and pops off after being under tension from the swollen battery.
 
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Well Apple isn't wrong. It IS accidentally damage. It's just Apple's fault, rather than the customers. Remember when electronics didn't come with all these caveats? Remember when 'You're holding it wrong' was rightly laughed at? SO many people drinking the Kool Aid.
 
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Will do good said:
If it's not working, return/replace it, why sued? Just another greedy money grab.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you read the article before posting? :


However, the complaint alleges that the company often attributes the issue to "accidental damage" and thus "refuses to cover repairs" under warranty.
Click to expand...

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.
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1554283091][/doublepost]Apple Bingo: Blame the user - check

DakotaGuy said:
That Apple watch looks trashed. No wonder the battery swelled up. It's not Apple's fault if you can't take care of stuff and beat it all up.
Click to expand...

Zaft said:
I doubt the screen cracked. The watch looks like it was dropped.
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1554283310][/doublepost]
Analog Kid said:
Another one of those stories without much detail, leading everyone to project their own biases into it.
  • Banging the watch shouldn’t swell the battery, so blaming the user for a battery failure lacks basis.
  • I don’t see any evidence that the battery swelled up other than the users claim, so assuming Apple isn’t honoring their warrantee lacks basis.
  • Suing on the response from one so-called “Genius” is a little trigger happy.
  • The "Genius" is an Apple employee and Apple bears some responsibility for their actions.
  • Suing if denied proper service for a legitimate failure is a reasonable course of action, even if I may not spend that energy myself.
  • If this is accepted as a class action, the woman described will probably get a discount on a new watch if she wins. The lawyer will put their kids through college.
  • There is a percentage of bad batteries out there. Apple should take responsibility for failed parts.
  • There is a percentage of bad batteries out there and users should understand there’s a chance they need a repair.
  • If there is other damage to the watch beyond the bad battery, Apple is not responsible for covering it as part of the battery repair.
  • If the battery failure is in anyway related to water damage due to mistreatment of the watch, Apple is not responsible for it.
  • My good fortune with Apple products doesn’t preclude others from bad luck.
  • A few people among millions having bad luck doesn’t indicate systemic problems.
  • It’s easy to laugh at frivolous lawsuits and ignore the fact that someone feels aggrieved.
  • It’s easy to rage at a company overlooking a customer and take a lawsuit more seriously than we should.
  • Apple being a wealthy corporation has no bearing on their responsibilities in supporting their customers. It neither requires them to do more, nor excuses them for doing less.
  • Apple being a wealthy corporation both makes them a magnet for lawsuits and affects the public’s empathy with their case.
Click to expand...
Apple makes an astonishing amount of profit yet is stingy in some of its warranty practices.
There are many people in these threads claiming similar stories.

I had my series 0 watch replaced with a series 1 after the screen developed touch disease, never got a reason as to why it happened, but could have been a swollen battery.

I have also had two iPhones and a laptop replaced due to swollen batteries.
[doublepost=1554283481][/doublepost]
BvizioN said:
Because society loves quick/easy money nowadays without having to work hard for it.
For some people, having an Apple product's battery exploding is like hitting a jackpot!
Click to expand...
Yeah, nothing to do with Apple systematically not replacing faulty products, lets no let facts get in the way.
or https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/02/ipad-pro-screen-stuttering-issues/
 
Last edited:
dilbert99 said:
Yeah, nothing to do with Apple systematically not replacing faulty products, lets no let facts get in the way.
or https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/02/ipad-pro-screen-stuttering-issues/
Click to expand...

Apple does replace faulty products. And that is pure fact! As long as it is under a warranty.
But there are certain people who love bigger fish, and they prefer to sue in courts for........ you guessed it. More money.
This suing epidemic seems to be more prominent in the US.
 
Will do good said:
If it's not working, return/replace it, why sued? Just another greedy money grab.
Click to expand...
Try reading the article before commenting. She tried to get it repaired and Apple would not do a warranty repair but charged her over $200.
 
Pbrutto said:
LOL, my dads had this problem and the screen popped off, you know what he did? Took it to the Apple store, they apologized and gave him a new one. I guess he could have filed a lawsuit? If he was bored, and an idiot? I don’t know, sounds like a company doing exactly what they should do?
Click to expand...

He also replied to the MacRumours story without reading it. Oh wait, that was you.
 
Gen1 watch owner here. AppleCare expired, and about a month or two later, the screen popped out. Did the research, and discovered that a secret Apple memo mandated repairs for three years after purchase. (Apple care was only two years.) Apple tried to give me crap, but I persisted, and they repaired mine free of charge.
 
For safety issues it is recommended to design a product we’re the battery can be removed easily in case of developing defect, products with batteries inside hidden away will could develop defects and result in a fire due to the user not being aware due to the issue being hidden and only comes apparent when it’s too late.

Apple response hide the battery wait for a fire then the sell them the same product again and again because they are suckers
 
I am beginning to wonder how widespread these issues actually are becuase I have owned every Series Apple Watch (0-4) and have not experienced anything close to this.
I get it, not everybody is going to have this issue.
But it's like Apple is being sued for every product they make.
iPhone: "Throttling" issue, where the 4 year old lithium ion battery had reached its industry standard 4-5 year life and Apple went and made a software patch to stop undervoltage.
iPad: The display is not responding.
MacBook line: OMG the keyboard is defective.
Apple Watch: Battery expands.
HomePod is probably next.

It's not that I don't believe them, per se.
It's just it's getting fatiguing to always be seeing some lawyer chasing Apple like an ambulance.
 
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csurfr said:
Look at all of the damage to the screen. There are signs that it has been dropped, banged around, etc. If the battery was swollen, wouldn’t the screen push away from the watch itself? Hers doesn’t show any of that.
Click to expand...
Its actually reflections from the ceiling / wall if you watch closely. the screen is broken in half but other than that it seems not to be damaged. Also the aluminum band is not scratched which would be the first part to take damage if it would have been misused.
 
BvizioN said:
Apple does replace faulty products. And that is pure fact! As long as it is under a warranty.
But there are certain people who love bigger fish, and they prefer to sue in courts for........ you guessed it. More money.
This suing epidemic seems to be more prominent in the US.
Click to expand...
Certainly does. But yes, I do agree that Apple is quite good at replacing things for me. Just as well though, if they didn't I wouldn't be a customer of theirs considering the amount of failures I have had in Apple products.
 
Analog Kid said:
Another one of those stories without much detail, leading everyone to project their own biases into it....
  • It’s easy to laugh at frivolous lawsuits and ignore the fact that someone feels aggrieved....
Click to expand...
Yes too bad losing plaintiffs aren’t forced to pay for court time. But that’s another discussion entirely.
 
I’ve just had my S4 sent off to apple as it was getting too hot while charging.

I was with the apple genius for 45 minutes before they opted to send it off. I wasn’t given a replacement even though it looks mint.

It’s been 3 days and no update.

The ‘genuis’ Tried to make out it was a software issue. In my opinion if a watch gets too hot to wear after charging, that’s 100% a hardware fault.
 
vegetassj4 said:
Another feature. The watch has a screen cleaning function via a spring mechanism which vibrates the screen in an up and down fashion to shake off any accumulated dust. if you are wearing the watch in an improper manner the force of the spring is multiplied by the square of the distance and inadvertently breaks the watch. You are wearing it wrong.
Click to expand...
[doublepost=1554299761][/doublepost]This sounds like an April Fool's joke. The Apple Watch IS NOT a dildo ... the screen DOES NOT vibrate up and down to remove 'dust' ... PYHOOYA ... [ but the entire watch does vibrate cutaneously to signal certain conditions ].
 
Marshall73 said:
The display is designed to “pop” off if the battery expands due to failure, rather than exploding on your wrist. Apple are quite happy to replace them if the flattery fails like this.
Click to expand...
Except they aren’t... this exact thing happened to me and they quoted $300+ (Canadian dollars) for replacement because (their words, not mine):
-apparently all batteries expand at end of life, deal with it
-subsequently, the Apple Watch isn’t a classic timepiece to hold onto for years and buyers should expect to spend several hundred dollars every 3-4 years on battery replacement and in fact I should feel lucky that my battery lasted as long as it did.

I really hate “suing culture” but there’s some grounds for a class-action suit here, in my opinion
 
Pro tip to the Anti-Apple crowd - the "You're wearing it wrong" meme was tired and worn out about 5 years ago. Time to get a newer edition of "How to write an anti-Apple post for dummies"
 
Imaking81 said:
Well let me clear up this post. Apple for one will replace your watch if your battery is swollen as long as it’s in warranty. If it’s not in warranty and over the monthly amount allocated after warranty expires they will replace it at battery cost. Now it all boils down to if there is a point of impact, which “can” cause the swelling to the battery. Looking at that watch in the picture, it’s looks pretty beat up and probably has some damage due to some sort of impact. So to sue a company over something you’ve done or to sue do it it may being a couple years old, you should know that you’re not going to win.
Click to expand...

The point you’re missing is extended warranty where the product is known to be defective, apple have a repair program which is clear evidence they acknowledge the batteries are defective and are not achieving reasonable expectations of life, this case is grey as the battery swelled (known issue) and there were signs of damage that may have caused the screen to crack, apple should have just repaired this and all swollen battery issue, “trillion dollar company being mean fisted with customers” should have been the headline..
 
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