Apple Watch Died

[ATS]

My Apple Watch died this morning. All was fine when I put it on the charger last night. This morning all I got was nothing. I tried a hard reset but all I get is the time and a reserve icon. Rebooted my phone, reset network settings, you name it. I have tried everything in the book. I'm off to the Apple Store later this morning. I'm disappointed and had very high hopes for this product but I'm dubious now.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Random/isolated manufacturing defects happen and there's no reason to become dubious of the product line as a result. Get thee to the Apple Store.

 

[KPOM]

Just be aware that Apple sends out all Apple Watches to a central location for repairs, even software flashes. The stores aren't yet equipped to re-flash the firmware. I ran into a software glitch when I changed the phone that I paired my watch with. It was a little annoying being without the watch but I dropped it off on a Tuesday and had it back that Friday.

 

[Mac2me]

Hmmm. Only time and Reserve icon. Does that sound like the battery stopped charging and/or discharged and it's in Reserve mode now? I'll be curious to hear what Apple says happened. Don't think I've heard this situation come up before now. What software version are you on?

With millions of owners out there and many on here posting I wouldn't say it sounds like something to cast a doubt on the product about. I'm sure Apple will get you back up and running again.

 

[ATS]

Here's an update. I stopped by the Apple Store and the second employee I spoke with said the next available appointment was in six hours. This visit was a complete waste of my time. I live an hour away from the store and am very busy with my career and a part-time job on the side, so waiting around wasn't an option. The guy told me they shipped them out anyway, so I decided to call Apple Support instead.

I called Apple Support and as soon as a rep answered the phone I got disconnected. I called a second time and after ten frustrating minutes of interacting with a voice-actived system I got a real-life rep. He told me that he had only heard of one other case like mine. They're sending me a postage-paid mailer I can send my watch in to them. The option of charging another $1,100 on my credit card with a new watch sent today wasn't appealing at all to me.

So now I have spent nearly $1,100 on a watch that lasted me 31 days and is completely useless. I realize that it will be either fixed or replaced, but this is the risk I took with a first-generation product. If I didn't love my watch so much I would have just asked for a refund.

I love everything Apple and the Apple Watch is the first product that has really let me down. Hopefully I'll feel better once I get the replacement, but for me I'll let the test of time (pun intended) be the deciding factor.

 

[Mac2me]

Thanks for the update. Was that 6 hours for a genius appointment or just to talk to a manager or watch sales rep? Wow. Does that mean the store was really busy?

Not so sure I would necessarily think of this as a first gen problem yet if it's a part issue and hardly anyone has experienced this. Hope your replacement arrives shortly.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Here's an update. I stopped by the Apple Store and the second employee I spoke with said the next available appointment was in six hours. This visit was a complete waste of my time. I live an hour away from the store and am very busy with my career and a part-time job on the side, so waiting around wasn't an option. The guy told me they shipped them out anyway, so I decided to call Apple Support instead.

You must be new to Apple because nowadays nobody can just show up and expect to be serviced immediately at the Genius Bar, especially in a large city. In many locations, Genius Bar appointments are booked 2-3 days in advance if scheduling online. Always make an appointment especially if you live some distance from the nearest Apple Store.

So now I have spent nearly $1,100 on a watch that lasted me 31 days and is completely useless. I realize that it will be either fixed or replaced, but this is the risk I took with a first-generation product.

Negative. Random/isolated manufacturing defects can happen whether it's a first-generation or seventh-generation product.

 

[maliu]

Sounds like it didn't get charged overnight and went into power save. Try charging it again.

 

[Jack426]

You must be new to Apple because nowadays nobody can just show up and expect to be serviced immediately at the Genius Bar, especially in a large city. In many locations, Genius Bar appointments are booked 2-3 days in advance if scheduling online. Always make an appointment especially if you live some distance from the nearest Apple Store.

The only thing that's really annoying is how difficult Apple makes it to schedule a Genius Bar appointment. I should be able to go to their website, click Genius Bar, find my store location, select product & date, and click schedule. No, that would be too easy. They need to take me through all of the basic support options that I need to select, just for them to tell me what the best support option is phone/chat/store. (I don't need you to tell me what my "best" option is, I know what option I want, I just want to bring my stinking product into the store.) I know you can use the Apple Store app to make the appointment "easier", but I shouldn't need to have their app just to make scheduling an appointment easier. Apple really needs to make an easier, quicker, and more seamless way to schedule appointments on their website.
//Genius Bar Appointment Rant Over

 

[Junmeng126]

You should read my frustrating experience dealing with apple customer support. I was so shocked.

 

[ATS]

I am not new to Apple and tried to schedule an appointment online but there weren't any openings. I live an hour away from the closest Apple Store but had an appointment in Raleigh this morning so I stopped by afterward just hoping by chance I could get waited on as a walk-in customer. No such luck, which is really not ideal.

First generation products are likely to have more glitches than future models, at least in my personal experience. My opinion is subjective but it is not wrong to me. Positive, negative, neutral, or whatever, but the Apple Watch has experienced some issues that should be solved with future releases.

The Apple Store needs to work on being more customer oriented, especially for folks that live out of town. If you are booked up online until Tuesday that's a problem and a better strategy should be implemented to serve such high demand from your customer base, Apple.

This experience has been unnecessarily frustrating to say the least.

 

[ryohumar]

I am not new to Apple and tried to schedule an appointment online but there weren't any openings. I live an hour away from the closest Apple Store but had an appointment in Raleigh this morning so I stopped by afterward just hoping by chance I could get waited on as a walk-in customer. No such luck, which is really not ideal.

First generation products are likely to have more glitches than future models, at least in my personal experience. My opinion is subjective but it is not wrong to me. Positive, negative, neutral, or whatever, but the Apple Watch has experienced some issues that should be solved with future releases.

The Apple Store needs to work on being more customer oriented, especially for folks that live out of town. If you are booked up online until Tuesday that's a problem and a better strategy should be implemented to serve such high demand from your customer base, Apple.

This experience has been unnecessarily frustrating to say the least.

You say in the same sentence that you're not new to apple, and that you're upset that you saw the genius bar was booked solid for the day and they couldn't fit you in. That just doesn't make sense. Is it disappointing? Sure. Is it a black mark against the company? I would sure hope not.

It seems to me if you saw they were booked solid for the day, you should have just called their phone support.

 

[ATS]

You say in the same sentence that you're not new to apple, and that you're upset that you saw the genius bar was booked solid for the day and they couldn't fit you in. That just doesn't make sense. Is it disappointing? Sure. Is it a black mark against the company? I would sure hope not.

It seems to me if you saw they were booked solid for the day, you should have just called their phone support.

I was in the area so I took a chance before I called phone support. There was the remote possibility that someone could have helped me right away as I have gotten help before at the store without an appointment. I made the call after I couldn't get assistance.

When I have a negative experience with a product my perception of the company changes. This is true for many people. Has it left a black mark for me. No, most certainly not, but maybe a scuff mark instead.

I am just sharing my unique experience with a product. You don't have to agree with it.

 

[rowdt1]

Dude, you're sounding like a little crybaby. "Busy with your career and a part-time job so I don't have time for this". Well, you spent $1100 on a product and the company is more than willing to help you. They offer the best possible solution by just stopping by at your house and replace it with a new one. You should be thankful. Get over yourself.

 

[HopefulHumanist]

I don't know why you keep mentioning the price for the SSSB when you know all watches have the same internals and software; it could have happened to any of them.

Also, like as has been said before, if the store is booked, how can they see you? They would have to mess up someone else's appointment for you. How is that fair?

You should have just allowed them to put the temporary hold on your card for the applecare+ replacement. I've done it twice now (due to beta issues, staying off it now), with no issues. You get the watch literally two days later (obviously not on the weekend though) and you send the original back. Very easy.

If I were you, I would have just asked to try one of their chargers because since the watch works, it just seems like it didn't charge. It seems like your charger is defective. You're gonna be pissed if you get your new watch and the charger was the problem all along.

 

[Bigdog9586]

I was in the area so I took a chance before I called phone support. There was the remote possibility that someone could have helped me right away as I have gotten help before at the store without an appointment. I made the call after I couldn't get assistance.

When I have a negative experience with a product my perception of the company changes. This is true for many people. Has it left a black mark for me. No, most certainly not, but maybe a scuff mark instead.

I am just sharing my unique experience with a product. You don't have to agree with it.

So I'm the one that had the APPOINTMENT about 5 minutes after you walked in. I followed the rules and I'm supposed to wait around while they take my valuable time to help you? What's wrong with this picture?

 

[chabig]

This experience has been unnecessarily frustrating to say the least.

You're right, the frustration was completely unnecessary. It was wholly due to your lofty sense of entitlement. There were no available appointments, so you felt entitled to be served as a walk-in, and then complained to us because your time was wasted when they wouldn't meet your expectation. You didn't want to have a hold placed against your credit card so you felt entitled to complain to us about how your 31 day old watch was "useless" when you could have had it replaced in two days. Random mechanical defects affect all machines, but you feel entitled to not have any malfunctions. Just relax. You've made your choice now to send the watch back and get another one. Everything will be fine.

 

[Jack426]

I was in the area so I took a chance before I called phone support. There was the remote possibility that someone could have helped me right away as I have gotten help before at the store without an appointment. I made the call after I couldn't get assistance.

When I have a negative experience with a product my perception of the company changes. This is true for many people. Has it left a black mark for me. No, most certainly not, but maybe a scuff mark instead.

I am just sharing my unique experience with a product. You don't have to agree with it.

I didn't realize you were in NC too. I live 2 hours away from Crabtree's Apple Store (which is the closest.) I arrived about 30min. after the store opened, and had to stand in line for 15min. to schedule an appointment which was about 1½ hours later.

So, 1½ later I come back, I have to wait again, to tell them my appointment is ready, and I'm seated (or should I say stood, due to lack of chairs) at one of the tables in back of the store. Then, the real wait begins... 10min., 20min., 30min... Needless to say, everyone at the same table as me were becoming quite infuriated, as almost none of us were from the Raleigh area, and we all had other places/appointments that we needed to do. I guess what really annoyed me was watching people get help for basic things that could've been found/fixed by simply using chat or phone support. Those of us with hardware issues were stuck waiting, and we had to, as we couldn't get our issues fixed that way.

Luckily, the guy who assisted me was very helpful, and my issue was resolved. (Another hour waiting to get my screen replaced due to faulty Touch ID.) However, the entire process should not have consumed half of my day.

TL;DR: I completely agree with you ATS, this Apple Store could use a little help. Especially considering that 80% of its customer base is out of town.

 

[ATS]

Okay, I get it. Don't voice valid concerns lest you be attacked by random strangers. Peace out!

 

[HopefulHumanist]

Okay, I get it. Don't voice valid concerns lest you be attacked by random strangers. Peace out!

They're not indicative of anything; you got a dud. Sorry man, but they sold literally millions of these things, some are bound to have issues. And again, I really think your issue is the charger since your watch is running in power Reserve.

 

[Arran]

They're not indicative of anything; you got a dud. Sorry man, but they sold literally millions of these things, some are bound to have issues. And again, I really think your issue is the charger since your watch is running in power Reserve.

I was thinking it was the charger too.

Mine fell out of the wall one night and I didn't realize the watch wasn't charging. Next day I had the same symptoms as the OP: watch went into power reserve mode with only time displayed. Shoved the charger back into the wall. Done.

One other alternative explanation could be that the wall outlet by the bed is wired into the light switches by the door. My house is like that. Many are. I often find the bedside cordless phone discharged because someone turned the light switch off.

 

[samiznaetekto]

Out of $1,100 the real cost of iWatch with link band, including components, R&D, marketing, etc. is perhaps $100. The remaining - a cool, crisp $1,000 bill - is the admission price to this particular configuration, the right to own SS watch with metal band.

Since it's not the vanity $1,000 part that broke (afterall, it's an imaginary thing, it's just desire caused by clever marketing), it's either the ~$20 motherboard fried or even some 1-cent connector that caused it to die.

So, for lets say $1 average faulty component, Apple seems to be doing AMAZING service.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Out of $1,100 the real cost of iWatch with link band, including components, R&D, marketing, etc. is perhaps $100. The remaining - a cool, crisp $1,000 bill - is the admission price to this particular configuration, the right to own SS watch with metal band.

Since it's not the vanity $1,000 part that broke (afterall, it's an imaginary thing, it's just desire caused by clever marketing), it's either the ~$20 motherboard fried or even some 1-cent connector that caused it to die.

So, for lets say $1 average faulty component, Apple seems to be doing AMAZING service.

Aside from your continued use of the iWatch term for the sole purpose of disparaging Apple Watch owners, are you trying to tell us something we don't already know? The Sport band has a base cost of $2.05 a pop, yet Apple charges $49 for it (a ~2400% increase). Nothing new to see here. Carry on.

 

[Mildredop]

but they sold literally millions of these things

Did they? Did they...??

 

[samiznaetekto]

Aside from your continued use of the iWatch term for the sole purpose of disparaging Apple Watch owners, are you trying to tell us something we don't already know? The Sport band has a base cost of $2.05 a pop, yet Apple charges $49 for it (a ~2400% increase). Nothing new to see here. Carry on.

According to "iWatch corrections" sticky, you are violating MR rule #8 and should be moderated. iWatch name has been widely used here and in media for years before the announcement. There's nothing disparaging about it, and with some long-time members, it stuck.