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Apple wont perform battery replacement at out of warranty price

dukebound85

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Original poster
Jul 17, 2005
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Until the battery health under 80%. This is what i was told at the apple store today

Is this everyone else’s experience? Why should it matter when i want an out of warranty battery replacement?
 
Hmm....Seems like you might need to make something up if they're being that crazy...

SYMPTOM: MacBook Powers Off Randomly While On Battery Power
STEPS TO REPRODUCE: N/A. Intermittent Issue.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION: Out of warranty battery replacement.
PART: MBP-BATTERY

I even did the notes for the Genius. :)
 
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dukebound85 said:
Until the battery health under 80%. This is what i was told at the apple store today

Is this everyone else’s experience? Why should it matter when i want an out of warranty battery replacement?
Click to expand...

To protect the environment and save wastage. Batteries are toxic waste. Apple is super focused towards environmental changes these days and doing a lot within their power. As a company they’re fully operational on only renewable energy.
 
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Yup, I was told the same thing when trying to get my phone battery replaced at the Apple Store. Me: I am traveling internationally for the next year and want to get the 2 year old battery replaced before I leave since I know it won't last another year. Apple: Sorry our battery diagnostic says your battery is in fine condition (82%) and so we can't replace it. Me: Can you sell me a battery and I will replace it myself. Apple: No.

Drove me nuts. But if you think that is bad, you should read about the stuff Apple does to repair shops, by refusing to supply them with parts.

The store was nice enough to give me the card of a local "authorized dealer" who might be willing to help me. They did.

Really wish Apple would do more to help our devices last longer by supplying parts for consumables - like batteries. If they really cared about the environment and e-waste, they would build modular upgradability into all their devices.
 
akash.nu said:
To protect the environment and save wastage. Batteries are toxic waste. Apple is super focused towards environmental changes these days and doing a lot within their power. As a company they’re fully operational on only renewable energy.
Click to expand...
Then they should support my ipad 2 with security updates.
 
maybe cause they also replace the whole top lid, they don't want people with banged up lids replacing the battery just to replace the top aluminum, don't know.
 
SpotOnT said:
If they really cared about the environment and e-waste, they would build modular upgradability into all their devices.
Click to expand...

It might sounds obvious right? But as always the equation is not that simple. Modular phone as a concept sounds good because it gives the consumers a choice to upgrade / change things as and when required but in practical terms it’s not a feasible option technologically or as a profitable business model. Many companies have tried and failed.

Also, user removable parts make a device flimsy and vulnerable to many things, water proofing for example will definitely be sacrificed. Time and again it has been proven that the majority of the consumers just don’t care enough for all this for a company like Apple to make those sacrifices for something like removable battery when majority of the customer base just upgrades every 2-3 years for FREE on contract.

Real life is a bitch. That’s all it is basically.
 
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ajcgn said:
Then they should support my ipad 2 with security updates.
Click to expand...

There’s always an upper limit for everything. Show me another company that supports their hardware with software updates as much as Apple does.

It’s easy to write this on a forum post but in practicality there’s always ROI that’ll eventually force companies to prioritise.
 
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rgarjr said:
maybe cause they also replace the whole top lid, they don't want people with banged up lids replacing the battery just to replace the top aluminum, don't know.
Click to expand...

Correct! So many people have tried to take advantage of Apple’s battery replacement programs in the past. This forum is full of such posts from a few years ago where people asked about how to take advantage of Apple’s repair program under AppleCare.

I’m still hopeful that majority of us are not scammers. But there’s always a few bad apples.
 
akash.nu said:
There’s always an upper limit for everything. Show me another company that supports their hardware with software updates as much as Apple does.

It’s easy to write this on a forum post but in practicality there’s always ROI that’ll eventually force companies to prioritise.
Click to expand...
But the environment!
 
eXoenDo said:
Hmm....Seems like you might need to make something up if they're being that crazy...

SYMPTOM: MacBook Powers Off Randomly While On Battery Power
STEPS TO REPRODUCE: N/A. Intermittent Issue.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION: Out of warranty battery replacement.
PART: MBP-BATTERY

I even did the notes for the Genius. :)
Click to expand...
? that’s always how you get replacement.
 
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akash.nu said:
It might sounds obvious right? But as always the equation is not that simple. Modular phone as a concept sounds good because it gives the consumers a choice to upgrade / change things as and when required but in practical terms it’s not a feasible option technologically or as a profitable business model. Many companies have tried and failed.

Also, user removable parts make a device flimsy and vulnerable to many things, water proofing for example will definitely be sacrificed. Time and again it has been proven that the majority of the consumers just don’t care enough for all this for a company like Apple to make those sacrifices for something like removable battery when majority of the customer base just upgrades every 2-3 years for FREE on contract.

Real life is a bitch. That’s all it is basically.
Click to expand...

To be fair, I actually am fine with phones not being "upgradable" or "user serviceable". I am mainly thinking about Apple laptops and desktops. There is no reason things need to be glued down - let alone consumables like batteries - or why processors can't be socketed etc. The consumer will is there (for computers), it is Apple firmly standing in the way.

Even iPads should probably be upgradeable too. They are large enough already and it is not like they are waterproof or anything. I am also not sure I buy the argument that using glue over a screw to connect the components makes it "flimsy".

As for contracts, here in the US, the big three carriers (AT&T, Verizon, and T-mobile) no longer offer free phones with contracts. They do offer interest free loans though, to help customers by a phone - but the purchase price is very much hitting the customer in the face.
 
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Our consumerism is fundamentally at odds with the environment. How many of you upgrade phones every year, or every few? Apple needs to sell stuff and we want to buy it.

I think more practical solution (not the entire solution, which is to simply not make and buy stuff as we are) is to recycle materials as much as possible and make trade ins as attractive as possible to do so.
 
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Do I own the device or does apple? Why can’t I replace the battery irrespective of the health if I choose to pay the out of warranty price? It is supposedly my device and I should be able to do things when I want.

I am not asking for it to be free. I am willing to pay the price they state for out of warranty battery replacement.
 
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akash.nu said:
It might sounds obvious right? But as always the equation is not that simple. Modular phone as a concept sounds good because it gives the consumers a choice to upgrade / change things as and when required but in practical terms it’s not a feasible option technologically or as a profitable business model. Many companies have tried and failed.

Also, user removable parts make a device flimsy and vulnerable to many things, water proofing for example will definitely be sacrificed. Time and again it has been proven that the majority of the consumers just don’t care enough for all this for a company like Apple to make those sacrifices for something like removable battery when majority of the customer base just upgrades every 2-3 years for FREE on contract.

Real life is a bitch. That’s all it is basically.
Click to expand...
Free upgrades every 2 years have not been around for a decade
 
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The Apple Demands My 2010 Macbook Air Battery Needs Service
when the 2010 battery out performs my Dell XPS now.

so much for the environment they try to love!
 
dukebound85 said:
Free upgrades every 2 years have not been around for a decade
Click to expand...

I mean people just upgrade their contracts and they don’t really need to pay the price of the device at a stretch so nobody even thinks about it. Mostly, that is.
 
dukebound85 said:
Do I own the device or does apple? Why can’t I replace the battery irrespective of the health if I choose to pay the out of warranty price? It is supposedly my device and I should be able to do things when I want.

I am not asking for it to be free. I am willing to pay the price they state for out of warranty battery replacement.
Click to expand...

It is incredibly frustrating.

Google "Right to Repair" in your state. It is a movement that is trying to get state and federal laws passed that would require companies (mainly of cars, electronics, etc) to give consumers more control over the items they own. The movement is seeing some success in MA and CA.
 
Battery is very user replaceable this iteration.

It has an adhesive pull tab that you can grab onto. Check ifixit for more details.

In my experience using macbooks for over a decade, I only needed to replace a battery once for my 2012 mbp
 
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Sanpete said:
You own your device, and Apple owns the replacement parts and the labor of its technicians.
Click to expand...

Yup, that is the current legal situation.
And that wouldn't be an issue at all if the consumer had options other than Apple. It is when Apple doesn't allow others to repair the device (Touch ID won't work if not repaired through Apple channels for example) and forces manufactures into contracts that prevents them from selling parts - whether they are batteries or screens - to repair shops, that consumers start to get really shafted.

From pretty much any social perspective (ethical, ecological, etc) it is better for society if they can have their battery replaced. Giving Apple (or Ford or John Deer) absolute control over how and when your personal property can be serviced/repaired benefits no one but Apple (Ford, John Deer etc).

Hence the Right to Repair movement.
 
Not sure this is a great example for the right to repair movement for reasons that were given above. Do we really want people to be able to force a wasteful or dishonest use of the repair process?

There are no doubt more straightforward examples to illustrate the advantages of right to repair.
 
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