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Apple to Begin Offering In-Store iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c Display Replacements
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The way apple has handled warranty issues in the past is why myself and several family members buy their products on blind faith loyally within applicable upgrade cycles.
I appreciate the service apple has provided to back their products. In exchange I buy their products over their competitors without really investigating the merits of the rest of the market.
It isn't a one way street.
Since september we have upgraded 3 4s (all 32gb) phones to the 5s (all 32gb) and one iPad 3 (32gb) was handed down and replaced with a 32 gb air. Add the os x machines and ancillary devices and theres a picture painted of far more than a healthy amount of brand loyalty. In my eyes that loyalty in large part has been earned by years of many generations and categories of devices working fantastically with the company standing behind their product in a manner above and beyond what is expected now days.
Hopefully that doesn't change.
This is incorrect. AppleCare+ extends your warranty to two years and provides up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage over the course of those two years for $79 (plus applicable tax) per incident (http://store.apple.com/us/product/S4575LL/A/applecare-for-iphone).
After two accidental damage repairs/replacements, you pay whatever the cost is for a replacement out of warranty. iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s are $269 (http://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=servicefaq&geo=United_States&product=iphone). iPad 2 is $249. iPad 3rd, 4th generation and iPad Air are $299 (http://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=servicefaq&geo=United_States&product=ipad).
With that being said, it doesn't matter if it's a modular repair or a full unit swap. If the phone is coming in for repair because of accidental damage, the modular repair or swap will indeed use up an incident of AppleCare+. So if you drop your iPhone and crack the display and want the display swapped out under AppleCare+ it will cost you $79 instead of $149. iPad is $49 and iPod Touch/Classic is $29.
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charlituna
macrumors G3
Touch button like the previous home button is part of the display unit. All they ever replaced before was the triggering sensor. So depending on how that unit is built, yeah they might be able to.
I'm just impressed about the other buttons. Thought that was wacked they had to swap a whole phone for a pressed in sleep button. Double if you were out of warranty.
charlituna
macrumors G3
1. Yes. If it is damage it is an incident
2. If you have AC+ it is $79 regardless of what the issue is that you need damage replacement for. Display $79, liquid $79 not part plus something else
3. You signed terms that they can repair or replace at THEIR discretion not your desire. So if you bust the screen and you want a full unit cause of scratches etc you better make certain a corner is hella dented in so they can't replace the screen. Otherwise, display replacement.
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Or they don't cause of some clause like you bought it from Joe's cell phone shop and the law says 'from the retailer'. Or some other clause like 'defect present at time of sale' and it's been over a year with zero complaints from you so you can't prove it was present way back then as required by law.
In other words, more often than not those laws and so called 'warranties' aren't as clear as folks claim they are.
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With substandard parts done by any old yahoo who will happily warranty that display but not the phone itself so when he broke something doing the install you have a non working phone that has no warranty per the terms by Apple.
Most folks don't want to risk it
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Okay little bit from behind the curtain. They are getting new fixtures for testing etc. Remember the big black ugliest. Those were for calibrating new screens, programming the range of sensitivity etc. It's possible this new one is for the touch id sensor. Testing it and pairing it with the chipset etc
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Okay then he can wait for a month for the new one to come in. And he'll be past the retail return date so it won't be that way. It will be a service part.
Or he can, in accordance with warranty terms he agreed to when he bought the phone, have the defective display replaced free of charge and have his phone back an hour or so later.
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Assuming they don't change policy to block that for those that have stores in their area.
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Costs $79 since the new iPhones came out. $49 is iPads only.
I believe iPod touches and classics are $39.
Must be bought within first 30 days, no more time of first incident etc
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Here's yr run down. Apple care plus extends defect coverage and telephone support to two years from your original purchase. Plus if you need mail in service you get bumped up to overnight shipping rather than ground (which is an option for everyone else if they want to pay for it).
In regards to damage which you will not get for free no matter what.
No Apple care, if it can be fixed by a display replacement it's like $150 plus tax. Might be a tad more for the 5S but likely not more than $199. If it can't cause of liquid damage or dents that prevent new display installation, it's $269 plus tax for whole unit swap.
With Apple care. First two things, it's $79 flat. After that, it's the no Apple Care prices. Few folks are so careless they break stuff twice in two years so it's not really an issue.
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Wrong. AC+ is for any damage and only the first two times. No matter what they do to it.
The only way around that is if you have something like a 4s and it's the back that is broken. That part costs less than the incident price so you can pay for the flat part and no incident is used.
I suppose if you really insisted on paying the full cost of a display replacement and saving your incidents for liquid there is a way to make it happen but few would be like that.
Read the terms if you doubt me. Because it is there. AC+ is two times, not two times that require whole unit swap
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What they can replace in one model has zero bearing in others. They can't replace the buttons before the 5c and 5s either.
The way the camera was built in the 5 makes it non repairable. They changed this for the new ones.
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First off they aren't wedging these things open so tool marks????
Second, they have staff trained in doing these repairs that do that all day, in the back, if by some weird shot there is a time they don't have a phone on the bench they are checking on computers in testing etc since they are all Mac techs also. But at least one stays in the back at all times and off the queues that might delay them starting a phone repair the moment it comes in.
And unlike those cheap cart shops they do it in a clean room with proper ESD etc.
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Yeah cause Steve didn't have mobile me, didn't have the iPhone 4 etc. Computer recalls etc
Steve was not perfect. Stop pretending otherwise
jaybar
macrumors 68020
We Have Helped to Bring This About by our Actions!
Hi
When we return a phone an inordinate amount of times, looking for absolute perfection, we make this inevitable. When we return a phone, when our warrantee or apple care is soon to expire, in the hope of getting a replacement and thus maximizing resale, we help to make these changes inevitable. When we refuse to accept the consequences of day to day use and return our phone, we make these changes inevitable. When we purposely create water damage, so phones can be replaced, we make these changes inevitable. We kill the goose that lays the golden egg. And to think, some of us are even outraged.
Jay
Hi
When we return a phone an inordinate amount of times, looking for absolute perfection, we make this inevitable. When we return a phone, when our warrantee or apple care is soon to expire, in the hope of getting a replacement and thus maximizing resale, we help to make these changes inevitable. When we refuse to accept the consequences of day to day use and return our phone, we make these changes inevitable. When we purposely create water damage, so phones can be replaced, we make these changes inevitable. We kill the goose that lays the golden egg. And to think, some of us are even outraged.
Jay
I certainly understand how it work. Why waste one of your 2 accidental damages with just a screen fix. Chances are you got a few scratches on the phone from a drop that caused the crack.
You might as well dump it in water. So u get a refurb replacement. If they repaired the screen. Your iPhone will have dings from the fall or wear and tear.
davidg4781
macrumors 68040
Isn't this all just speculation at this point? We don't know for sure what's going to happen. Or did I miss something?
I'm guessing all Apple is doing is trying to compete with the 3rd party mall vendors. Surprisingly, Apple's repair service is pretty competitive. My inverter board or cable was going out in my '06 MB back in '11, well after AppleCare had run its course. Replacement parts online were going to cost me about $100, with me doing all the labor.
Apple quoted $50 for parts and labor. This came with a warranty and a qualified technician doing the work.
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Who knows. This is all coming from a source and posted on a rumors site. There's nothing in stone yet.
Wrong. Displays are $149. Full units are $269. (http://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=servicefaq&geo=United_States&product=iphone)
Yes I was a few dollars off. It's been a minute since I worked there and was completely updated on the figures. Hence the "or something"
Stinks, in a way. A faulty iPhone replacement would mean you would get any other minor imperfections fixed all in one go.
That and now I worry about dust getting trapped behind the screen somehow during replacements.
That and now I worry about dust getting trapped behind the screen somehow during replacements.
I repair the iPhone 5 for $105 and that includes shipping back. I use original screens with oleophobic coating. I do not use refurbished screens. I travel to Taiwan and China frequently and meet with the suppliers and make sure Im getting original parts by checking and auditing their purchasing departments.
I sell my screens also. I visually inspect and check every screen for functionality by hooking them up to test phones. This way you are guaranteed that the screen will be 100% operational before you install it. Check my eBay store out (maccinir) or Amazon (irichifix@gmail.com) for repair and screen sales. I have the best screens hands down!
I have over 2700 4/4S screen repairs and around 160 iPhone 5 screen repairs under my belt. You can also contact me at irichifix@gmail.com
I sell my screens also. I visually inspect and check every screen for functionality by hooking them up to test phones. This way you are guaranteed that the screen will be 100% operational before you install it. Check my eBay store out (maccinir) or Amazon (irichifix@gmail.com) for repair and screen sales. I have the best screens hands down!
I have over 2700 4/4S screen repairs and around 160 iPhone 5 screen repairs under my belt. You can also contact me at irichifix@gmail.com
kalsta
macrumors 68000
Hmm… I calculate about $122 difference. I'm guessing you haven't factored in our GST (goods and services tax). Still that is a fair difference. Apple's Mac prices have been pretty close to the US in recent years when you factor in GST, but for some reason they do charge more for the iPhone.
I'm not sure what factors influence their iPhone pricing here, but if you're saying the $122 markup is based on our consumer laws (which extend minimum warranty by one year for the iPhone), what you're really saying is that the iPhone has a very high failure rate between 12 and 24 months from purchase. If that's true, I don't think there's anything defensible about that! Apple has the highest markups in the industry and markets its products as superior-quality. Every customer should expect a $1000 phone to last longer than 24 months.
Mate, look at Apple's obscene profit margins, even in the US, and tell me you can talk about free lunches with a straight face!
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I don't even know where to start correcting in this post.
"If Apple slacks on customer service then they are going to lose a lot of long time customers." Why and how? Just because they'll replace the cracked screen instead of giving u a refurb one?
"The Moto X has already shown that Google is more than capable of surpassing Apple if they start getting cheap." Dream on. The Google's obsession and hype are getting a bit absurd.
"Everything has been going down hill since Apple lost Jobs." iPhone 4's antenna? The fact that Jobs was involved in designing iphone 5 and his well-known hatred towards Google and Android? Have you considered them.
"I hope that they succeed." They wont. Motorola will never ever ever be able to compete with Apple and Samsung internationally.
Well one has to start somewhere to correct the wrongness right. Can't just let the ignorance run rampant.
Dragonfly47
macrumors member
That's not what I'm saying at all. "CONSUMER watchdog Choice has condemned Apple for forcing Australians to pay 14 per cent more for its phones than the US." Gee, now why would that be? Retail prices are set based on a lot of factors, and Australia's liberal return/exchange law is one of them. I don't think Apple just woke up one day and said "Hmm..Let's screw the Ozzies on price." If you like the fact that you have government mandated better consumer protection than the US, you shouldn't be shocked that you have to pay more for products, because it's one of the factors that determines your price.
And what exactly is "obscene" about making a better profit than competitors? No one's forcing customers to pay the "Apple tax".
As far as timing goes: yes, a swap is faster... if you only count the time you're actually in the store. But that doesn't count getting all your data onto the new phone. Restoring from backup and syncing music and such takes time too (and also is another point where something can go wrong) and should be unnecessary when all that was replaced was the display.
For "surprise and delight," well, that only works when there's a level of service people aren't expecting. It's still a good approach when things get to where people know they can get above-and-beyond treatment when it's needed, but when it gets abused too much... well, really. All that's wrong is that the screen is broken, but fixing that (assuming it's done properly) isn't good enough? Demanding a whole new (or nearly enough that you can't tell the difference) phone because one easily-repaired button is stuck?
When it changes from "people expect no-hassle repairs, so we can impress them by an instant replacement instead when that's workable" to "people have grown to feel entitled to a full replacement for even easily-repaired damage or faults, to the point they can justify to themselves causing further damage just to make repair impossible" then it's irrational to expect the more generous policies to survive.
For "surprise and delight," well, that only works when there's a level of service people aren't expecting. It's still a good approach when things get to where people know they can get above-and-beyond treatment when it's needed, but when it gets abused too much... well, really. All that's wrong is that the screen is broken, but fixing that (assuming it's done properly) isn't good enough? Demanding a whole new (or nearly enough that you can't tell the difference) phone because one easily-repaired button is stuck?
When it changes from "people expect no-hassle repairs, so we can impress them by an instant replacement instead when that's workable" to "people have grown to feel entitled to a full replacement for even easily-repaired damage or faults, to the point they can justify to themselves causing further damage just to make repair impossible" then it's irrational to expect the more generous policies to survive.
jjp007
macrumors 6502
kalsta
macrumors 68000
It's exactly what you're saying! You're saying that Apple needs to charge more to offset the cost of extra returns. But if Apple knows its iPhones last longer than 24 months, then what's the problem?? For you to defend such a decision is to say (though you won't do it directly) that the iPhone has a high failure rate between 12 and 24 months from purchase.
Remember, these laws apply when the product is defectivewhen it malfunctions or fails to meet the manufacturers claims through no fault of the consumer, and dictates free replacement or repair under those circumstances. You call that kind of policy 'liberal'we call it what's fair and reasonable.
It's just a figure of speech. You said there's no free lunch, and I was simply pointing out that the lunch has already been paid for and then some!
Apple sits on a mountain of cash, and adds to it every day. By contrast, many of Apple's customers buy an iPhone when they struggle to pay off their credit card each month. Now, that's not Apple's fault but when their product fails prematurely, and the customer is stuck with a faulty product through no fault of their own, who are you going to side with? David or Goliath? Man I'm glad my government still sides with David occasionally. Although I can see that changing with our current government. 🙁
Dragonfly47
macrumors member
Your original quote:"Good luck with that! If there's a defect, they have to repair or replace it free of charge under consumer law in Australia, for at least two years for an iPhone." So basically, that's government mandated "free" AppleCare. Except it's not free, is it? Apple charges you 14% more for the phone up front. AppleCare is a profit center just like the hardware is. Surely you can wrap your mind around that without resorting to a straw man argument.