Apple Watch red exclamation point - Apple Watch DEAD!

[Marshall73]

thanks for the tip about asking for a 'gift'. i did ask because of your post and they're sending me a black sport band for free

so they are sending me an empty box to ship my broken watch back. as soon as they receive that, they'll send me a new watch.

now the part that i'm unclear about is whether or not they have a new device ready to ship me asap. the rep made it sound like they did, but i'm doubtful considering how this whole process has been already!

the stores around me are completely sold out, they dont even have any extras for replacements, so this is my only course of action.

the rep did offer to sell me apple care plus for $49 and that would expedite the process, but i didnt feel it was worth it.

i think that if there are more delays, i will indeed talk to a supervisor. thanks all for your inputs/suggestions, much appreciated. this forum is A LOT MORE helpful than Apple has been. BY FAR!

Check your account order page, they will probably have the replacement lined up for you already. Mine initially showed June but is now a mid May and they haven't even got my watch back from me yet as they are collecting it from me tomorrow. I'm glad you got a little something for the hassle too.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Bring it in to apple with packaging and exchange it for a new one if it's still in the first 14 days.

Sorry but most stores have zero stock, not even for replacements

 

[mr.anthonyramos]

Ask to speak to a supervisor. Supervisors ca do a whole lot more. A genius screwed up my sister's iPhone 5 so bad, it didn't work. An Area manager happened to be at the store and called Apple and talked to a supervisor and they gave my sister an iPhone 6 and a case for her trouble. You seem to get more help if you ask to talk to a supervisor if things aren't resolved to your satisfaction.

They upgraded her phone?! Wow that's a first.

 

[ex10psi]

Check your account order page, they will probably have the replacement lined up for you already. Mine initially showed June but is now a mid May and they haven't even got my watch back from me yet as they are collecting it from me tomorrow. I'm glad you got a little something for the hassle too.

why did you have to request a replacement? did you experience the same exclamation point of death? i'm surprised more people havent reported this yet!

 

[Mascots]

This is exactly why I knew Apple would put a port on this thing.

If something happens and the device is unpaired, or if something happens related to bluetooth or operating system managing it, the thing would literally be a brick.

Good luck getting it fixed! If you're lucky, Apple has sent the correct tools to the Genius Bars already and they can wipe and restore like how is done on iPhones. Fresh software is always boss

 

[Mac 128]

so they are sending me an empty box to ship my broken watch back. as soon as they receive that, they'll send me a new watch.

And they have to do this because they screwed the launch up so royally, and there are people who would take advantage of the situation to get more watches. Otherwise, they could just send you the new watch, charge your card (as they would otherwise do), and then credit you once they received the return.

 

[ex10psi]

And they have to do this because they screwed the launch up so royally, and there are people who would take advantage of the situation to get more watches. Otherwise, they could just send you the new watch, charge your card (as they would otherwise do), and then credit you once they received the return.

that is a good point.

 

[Marshall73]

why did you have to request a replacement? did you experience the same exclamation point of death? i'm surprised more people havent reported this yet!

My Stainless Steel watch had what looked like a tool mark on the case, which was just under the glass edge. It could potentially have been buffed out at a Jewelers but after I sent them pictures they wanted to replace it. They were really cool about it though and I said I could probably have lived with it as you only see it at certain angles and with the light over it but it wasn't like the normal scratches that shiny SS picks up in daily use And they were all for replacing it.

Is your replacement on your order page yet?

 

[ex10psi]

My Stainless Steel watch had what looked like a tool mark on the case, which was just under the glass edge. It could potentially have been buffed out at a Jewelers but after I sent them pictures they wanted to replace it. They were really cool about it though and I said I could probably have lived with it as you only see it at certain angles and with the light over it but it wasn't like the normal scratches that shiny SS picks up in daily use And they were all for replacing it.

Is your replacement on your order page yet?

i would want to have it replaced too if i were you.

so when i spoke to the apple support rep they told me that they would ship a new watch (just the watch face minus band, etc...) the same day they receive my broken one. they shipped me an empty shipping box and I just put the face in there and shipped it out with their pre paid fedex overnight. scheduled to arrive tmrw. so i am expecting a new watch face by thurs or fri at the latest. nothing shows up on my order page or the "repair status" page that they sent me a link to.

btw: i got a call from them today and they cannot gift me a apple watch band, too high of demand right now. so they are sending me a pair of beats ear buds, $100 value. i guess better than nothing.

maybe for your stainless watch there is more of a delay with replacing it, hopefully it goes quickly.

 

[dandrewk]

And they have to do this because they screwed the launch up so royally, and there are people who would take advantage of the situation to get more watches. Otherwise, they could just send you the new watch, charge your card (as they would otherwise do), and then credit you once they received the return.

So let me get this straight: Apple "royally screws up" the launch, and people attempt to exploit this by:

1. Deliberatly bricking a perfectly fine watch
2. Using the warranty replacement to get another watch

What genius came up with this brilliant scheme?

 

[BeefSupreme]

So let me get this straight: Apple "royally screws up" the launch, and people attempt to exploit this by:

1. Deliberatly bricking a perfectly fine watch
2. Using the warranty replacement to get another watch

What genius came up with this brilliant scheme?

No, they would call Apple and pretend the watch is broken, have Apple ship out a replacement first, get it overnight then keep both and sell one of them for $$$

 

[mistersandman]

No, they would call Apple and pretend the watch is broken, have Apple ship out a replacement first, get it overnight then keep both and sell one of them for $$$

Um....wouldn't apple require a credit card to hold funds to prevent this from happening?

 

[p3ntyne]

Um....wouldn't apple require a credit card to hold funds to prevent this from happening?

Yes, but when you don't send the old one back, they just charge you for it. Therefore, you either get to skip the line which extends until June, or sell the old one, which will gain you a profit due to the extremely high demand.

 

[armandxp]

Two factor auth. has been a nightmare. I turned it off! Changed my password and couldn't get anything to work properly. Set up app specific passwords and iMessage would not work! Gave up on it till they get it together a little bit better. Take my chances till then.

 

[TheGreenBastard]

thanks for the tip about asking for a 'gift'. i did ask because of your post and they're sending me a black sport band for free

How do you ask for a "gift" without sounding like a dick?

 

[northofnowhere]

I didn't have that red exclamation but just sent my watch back tonight as well. I got my watch last Friday with a faulty battery. It wouldn't even stay powered up for more than 3 hours after a full charge. As the days went on I would maybe get an hour and a half to 2 hours out of it. Just hoping that the quoted "2-3 business days" turn around I was promised holds up. I sent it late tonight so they won't get it until Thursday. Lets hope I have a new watch on it's way by Friday!!

 

[mistersandman]

Yes, but when you don't send the old one back, they just charge you for it. Therefore, you either get to skip the line which extends until June, or sell the old one, which will gain you a profit due to the extremely high demand.

But I wonder if that "broken" one would be blacklisted and no longer covered by any warranty. If that was the case and someone was to sell it anyways, that would totally suck.

 

[Marshall73]

i would want to have it replaced too if i were you.

so when i spoke to the apple support rep they told me that they would ship a new watch (just the watch face minus band, etc...) the same day they receive my broken one. they shipped me an empty shipping box and I just put the face in there and shipped it out with their pre paid fedex overnight. scheduled to arrive tmrw. so i am expecting a new watch face by thurs or fri at the latest. nothing shows up on my order page or the "repair status" page that they sent me a link to.

btw: i got a call from them today and they cannot gift me a apple watch band, too high of demand right now. so they are sending me a pair of beats ear buds, $100 value. i guess better than nothing.

maybe for your stainless watch there is more of a delay with replacing it, hopefully it goes quickly.

That's cool, I don't mind waiting for the replacement as they are sending me a whole new unit and I get the excitement of u boxing it again, haha. I will also have the fun of checking the delivery page every 10 mins again for updates

 

[Munchio]

I've had to send my 42mm SG sport back due to it not charging. I did go to the apple store and they tried a new charger and various other things but to no avail. They had no stock in store so I've had to send it back. Still waiting on the empty returns box which according to the tracking will be here today.

Do I need to send the whole thing back or just the watch face? I didn't think to ask at the time and they never said.

 

[Steve686]

For now it's probably a good thing that Apple doesn't seem to keep too many stores ready to replace watches on the spot.

People that ordered just a few minutes after official launch and still don't have a status change would probably be even MORE pissed that watches are sitting around while they are refreshing Apple Store statuses every minute waiting for a change.

OP. Hope you get your new watch faster than your original.

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I've had to send my 42mm SG sport back due to it not charging. I did go to the apple store and they tried a new charger and various other things but to no avail. They had no stock in store so I've had to send it back. Still waiting on the empty returns box which according to the tracking will be here today.

Do I need to send the whole thing back or just the watch face? I didn't think to ask at the time and they never said.

I'd keep the charger and bands but do an Apple Chat really quick to make sure they won't charge you extra if they don't receive those items.

Any returns I've done physically at the Apple Store have been pretty generous with cables, earphones, and chargers being given out.

 

[iEric007]

thanks for the tip about asking for a 'gift'. i did ask because of your post and they're sending me a black sport band for free

so they are sending me an empty box to ship my broken watch back. as soon as they receive that, they'll send me a new watch.

now the part that i'm unclear about is whether or not they have a new device ready to ship me asap. the rep made it sound like they did, but i'm doubtful considering how this whole process has been already!

the stores around me are completely sold out, they dont even have any extras for replacements, so this is my only course of action.

the rep did offer to sell me apple care plus for $49 and that would expedite the process, but i didnt feel it was worth it.

i think that if there are more delays, i will indeed talk to a supervisor. thanks all for your inputs/suggestions, much appreciated. this forum is A LOT MORE helpful than Apple has been. BY FAR!

Yeah, Apple Care gets replacement watches in 3-5 days. Non Apple Care warranty service gets replacement when stock replenishes, but prioritized. Sorry. Apple Care is definitely worth it.

 

[Munchio]

I'd keep the charger and bands but do an Apple Chat really quick to make sure they won't charge you extra if they don't receive those items.

Any returns I've done physically at the Apple Store have been pretty generous with cables, earphones, and chargers being given out.

Thanks, I just went on Apple Chat and they confirmed that I only need to sent the watch face back. Also, I discovered that the empty box that is supposed to be delivered today is going to the wrong address, doh! So they're had to set up another repair with the correct address, so now I have to wait for the empty box from scratch again, aaarrrrgggghhhh!

 

[zenstudent]

They're just not ready

I ordered my 42mm Sport 4 minutes after the open. It didn't ship until 4 days after the "launch". Then it arrived as a brick - the red exclamation point. After a few calls with support, and my convenient Apple store not having appointments until Friday, I now have to go to an inconvenient Apple Store so they can "capture" it. Let's read that sentence really slowly: I have to take my brick back to a physical store when I cannot buy the watch in a physical store in the first place. If only they had put as much thought into handling problems as they put into the cardboard box.

 

[ex10psi]

Two factor auth. has been a nightmare. I turned it off! Changed my password and couldn't get anything to work properly. Set up app specific passwords and iMessage would not work! Gave up on it till they get it together a little bit better. Take my chances till then.

i'm thinking about doing the same thing. 2FA has been a PITA for me too

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How do you ask for a "gift" without sounding like a dick?

it takes special talent

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I didn't have that red exclamation but just sent my watch back tonight as well. I got my watch last Friday with a faulty battery. It wouldn't even stay powered up for more than 3 hours after a full charge. As the days went on I would maybe get an hour and a half to 2 hours out of it. Just hoping that the quoted "2-3 business days" turn around I was promised holds up. I sent it late tonight so they won't get it until Thursday. Lets hope I have a new watch on it's way by Friday!!

i was also quoted 2-3 biz days turn around as well. yes hoping that they come through for both of us. keep me posted and i'll do the same. i am expecting the replacement thur or fri as well!

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I've had to send my 42mm SG sport back due to it not charging. I did go to the apple store and they tried a new charger and various other things but to no avail. They had no stock in store so I've had to send it back. Still waiting on the empty returns box which according to the tracking will be here today.

Do I need to send the whole thing back or just the watch face? I didn't think to ask at the time and they never said.

i got my empty return box yesterday, its a small square box and for me they clearly stated that i should only send the watch back, no band, no accessories, etc...

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I ordered my 42mm Sport 4 minutes after the open. It didn't ship until 4 days after the "launch". Then it arrived as a brick - the red exclamation point. After a few calls with support, and my convenient Apple store not having appointments until Friday, I now have to go to an inconvenient Apple Store so they can "capture" it. Let's read that sentence really slowly: I have to take my brick back to a physical store when I cannot buy the watch in a physical store in the first place. If only they had put as much thought into handling problems as they put into the cardboard box.

that sucks! i had to do the exact same thing and it was such a hassle. drove all the way to the apple store with my bricked watch only to have them tell me "yup its bricked"

what a waste of time.

 

[ex10psi]

my repair status website updated to show:

step 3: Product Replacement Pending

Does anyone know how much longer i'll need to wait to get my replacement device??

the rep gave me a generic 3-5 business days turn around. The process started on Mon 4/27... so latest I should get the watch is Friday? Is that right? I would've thought that they'd ship the new watch today, since they received my bricked watch today.