iPhone 8/Plus Applecare+ Accidental Damage

[eyoungren]

Is this really true?

Yes. There have been plenty of sob stories here on MR and other places I frequent where a customer brought in a replacement device to Apple and were denied warranty service because non-OEM parts were found.

It's happened.

 

[Samuel79]

But to be fair, there really should be a way to identify the phone besides the SIM tray, the one removable part of the phone.

Yes there is

a headed letter from your network provider stating that the imei that was used on your account then surely apple can test it in the lab to prove its the said iphone

 

[Apple_Robert]

The thread creator is just letting legit customers know what the "small print" is. Calm down.

I am not riled up or angry. I am merely pointing out that the OP does not have a valid legal reason to be made at Apple.

 

[macfacts]

Car analogy: Imagine if your auto insurance company denied coverage because your license plates went missing during the crash. Small little piece of metal that is easily gone during an accident.

... The advantage for the thief would be that a stolen phone is pretty much useless. The owner locks/wipes it remotely and that's it. If you could simply smash it so that it can't be identified and take it to Apple with AppleCare+, you would then get a new and fully functional phone for whatever fee they charge for the replacement. That would allow for a large profit when the thief sells the new phone. Heck, you could just find a broken iPhone and trade it in for a new one. They need to know that they are replacing the phone that you purchased, not an extra one that you found or stole, or even doing a favour for your buddy who broke their phone and doesn't have AC+. ...

Step 1: Steal iPhone and smash it.
Alternative Step 1: find friend with broken iPhone.

Step 2: buy Apple Care + for your device.

Step 3: eject your sim tray and put it in broken iPhone.

Step 4: profit.

Looks like thrives can still scam Apple. Only losers are legit customers.

 

[martfin70]

Apple can't identify the phone as yours. If they can't identify it as yours, they can't tell if the phone in question had Applecare. As such, Apple hasn't done anything wrong to you. What we have here is an unfortunate accident. And because Apple didn't give you a replacement phone for a phone that they couldn't validate, you decide to create a thread and berate Apple.

An accident of your own doing rendered the phone unidentifiable as yours. As such Apple could not execute the terms of AppleCare that you agreed to upon purchase in your favor.

Buying an iPhone with AppleCare, does not entitle you or anyone else to be made whole under conditions that nullified the agreement between you and Apple. Because you feel you are entitled, you feel Apple cheated when they didn't.

You know if they had put the serial number on any other part of the phone then it would be easy to see. But no put on the bit that’s designed to be pulled out and is small and guess what, you are screwed. I realize it’s my fault never denied it. I just posted here as a warning to others, make sure you have the SIM card tray. As far as berating a corporation that’s my right. Apple used to be great, I used to

 

[trigonometry]

I am not riled up or angry. I am merely pointing out that the OP does not have a valid legal reason to be made at Apple.

Yes you’re technically correct but for them to deny a replacement, outright with no other recourse, for something as inconsequential as a sim card tray is preposterous.

 

[Abs_p]

Car analogy: Imagine if your auto insurance company denied coverage because your license plates went missing during the crash. Small little piece of metal that is easily gone during an accident.




Step 1: Steal iPhone and smash it.
Alternative Step 1: find friend with broken iPhone.

Step 2: buy Apple Care + for your device.

Step 3: eject your sim tray and put it in broken iPhone.

Step 4: profit.

Looks like thrives can still scam Apple. Only losers are legit customers.

Wrong one. Cars have VIN etched on them. License plate is not an identifier. VIN number is.

 

[trigonometry]

Step 1: Steal iPhone and smash it.
Alternative Step 1: find friend with broken iPhone.

Step 2: buy Apple Care + for your device.

Step 3: eject your sim tray and put it in broken iPhone.

Step 4: profit.

Looks like thrives can still scam Apple. Only losers are legit customers.

Or how about just take a sim card tray up there and get whole new phone.

 

[joeblow7777]

You know if they had put the serial number on any other part of the phone then it would be easy to see. But no put on the bit that’s designed to be pulled out and is small and guess what, you are screwed. I realize it’s my fault never denied it. I just posted here as a warning to others, make sure you have the SIM card tray. As far as berating a corporation that’s my right. Apple used to be great, I used to

Well, like I said, these types of measures are usually the result of too many people taking advantage of a company’s “niceness”. Especially the bigger and more successful the company is, the bigger a target it will be since more people are aware of it, and people generally feel less guilty about ripping off a huge company that has more money than they can comprehend. Basically, if you’re too nice for too long people take advantage, and you have to be a bit less nice.

 

[macfacts]

Wrong one. Cars have VIN etched on them. License plate is not an identifier. VIN number is.

That's how it is in reality but I'm making an analogy. An Apple car wouldn't have a vin number etched on the inside, just like an iPhone doesn't have any identification etched on the inside.

 

[adamhenry]

I can totally see a large family buying 1 phone with Applecare+ to cover all of the family's phones.

 

[Chuck Kostalnick]

I truly believed that accidental damage if you produced the phone would be covered.

While this is true, as a former technician in an Apple Store, if the damage is considered catastrophic (completely destroyed, ie run over by a car), it voids the AppleCare+ coverage.

With that said, I would do the following:
Based on your OP, it sounds like you phoned AppleCare - take it in to an Apple Retail store, and ask for assistance. There are numerous identifiers inside the device (tiny QR Codes) that can be scanned. And as far as I can remember, Apple stopped printing the serial number on Sim tray slots after the 5S, so it sounds like you were talking to somebody who was confused/needs a training brush-up.

I wish you the best of luck, and avoid Assurion at all costs - those guys absolutely screw customers over.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Yes you’re technically correct but for them to deny a replacement, outright with no other recourse, for something as inconsequential as a sim card tray is preposterous.

The line has to be drawn. If Apple replaces a phone for every person in a similar situation, they are putting themselves in a no-win situation (long term).

We all like to read stories of Apple going the extra mile for someone. That is one of the things I like about Apple. However, I realize that such action is always at the discretion of Apple. And when it comes to the legalities of things like AppleCare, Apple is not obligated at any time, to provide service that is outside the bounds of said agreement. Should Apple give service outside the bounds of its own legal agreement with a customer, such action does not prevent Apple from strictly enforcing the terms with the same customer in the future, or anyone else.

One of the problems is that too many people around here have embraced the entitlement mindset. And when a situation doesn't go above and beyond, Apple bashing occurs. Apple fails customers at times. And when that happens, I have no problem with someone shedding light on Apple's failure. In this case, Apple didn't fail the customer. Apple didn't go above and beyond the terms of the agreement as the OP expected.

I also think many members here don't take the time to think about situations from a business point of view. If they did, they wouldn't be so quick to embrace the mindset that even though the business has a legal agreement to protect itself and the customer, it should always take action that is inconsistent with the agreement. That mindset sounds good to many around here because it makes for good personal relations. And for some, such actions are used as some kind of validation for buying a very expensive device. A business that acts in the manner that many here expect all the time, wouldn't be in business very long, especially with the success that Apple has had over the years.

 

[trigonometry]

The line has to be drawn. If Apple replaces a phone for every person in a similar situation, they are putting themselves in a no-win situation (long term).

We all like to read stories of Apple going the extra mile for someone. That is one of the things I like about Apple. However, I realize that such action is always at the discretion of Apple. And when it comes to the legalities of things like AppleCare, Apple is not obligated at any time, to provide service that is outside the bounds of said agreement. Should Apple give service outside the bounds of its own legal agreement with a customer, such action does not prevent Apple from strictly enforcing the terms with the same customer in the future, or anyone else.

One of the problems is that too many people around here have embraced the entitlement mindset. And when a situation doesn't go above and beyond, Apple bashing occurs. Apple fails customers at times. And when that happens, I have no problem with someone shedding light on Apple's failure. In this case, Apple didn't fail the customer. Apple didn't go above and beyond the terms of the agreement as the OP expected.

I also think many members here don't take the time to think about situations from a business point of view. If they did, they wouldn't be so quick to embrace the mindset that even though the business has a legal agreement to protect itself and the customer, it should always take action that is inconsistent with the agreement. That mindset sounds good to many around here because it makes for good personal relations. And for some, such actions are used as some kind of validation for buying a very expensive device. A business that acts in the manner that many here expect all the time, wouldn't be in business very long, especially with the success that Apple has had over the years.

I agree wholeheartedly. I’m pro-business, heck I own Apple stock. But for Apple to deny service solely based on the lack of a sim card tray is the issue I take affront to. It shows a lack of foresight in management and engineering. There is no way around that. I even went and read the Applecare agreement and it does say any defacement, removal, etc of serial number nullifies the agreement and will result in a denial of repair services. BUT to place that serial number on the only removable part of the phone is not the wisest decision for a mobile device. The entire point of Applecare is to cover accidental damage.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I agree wholeheartedly. I’m pro-business, heck I own Apple stock. But for Apple to deny service solely based on the lack of a sim card tray is the issue I take affront to. It shows a lack of foresight in management and engineering. There is no way around that. I even went and read the Applecare agreement and it does say any defacement, removal, etc of serial number nullifies the agreement and will result in a denial of repair services. BUT to place that serial number on the only removable part of the phone is not the wisest decision for a mobile device. The entire point of Applecare is to cover accidental damage.

As to the number and placing of unit identifiers on a phone, I can't comment, as I am not qualified. If in fact, the SIM tray were the only placing for the unit identifier, and there was no other way for Apple to confirm ownership, I would be in agreement that other unit identifiers should be placed on the phones.

 

[MH01]

I can understand that they would need to need to identify the serial number, otherwise the system would be abused

 

[blueturf]

While this is true, as a former technician in an Apple Store, if the damage is considered catastrophic (completely destroyed, ie run over by a car), it voids the AppleCare+ coverage.

With that said, I would do the following:
Based on your OP, it sounds like you phoned AppleCare - take it in to an Apple Retail store, and ask for assistance. There are numerous identifiers inside the device (tiny QR Codes) that can be scanned. And as far as I can remember, Apple stopped printing the serial number on Sim tray slots after the 5S, so it sounds like you were talking to somebody who was confused/needs a training brush-up.

I wish you the best of luck, and avoid Assurion at all costs - those guys absolutely screw customers over.

The serial number is still printed on the SIM card tray. I did pretty much the same thing to my 8 as OP about a month after I got it. Took it into the Apple store and it wouldn’t respond to any of their diagnostic tools. The tech used the serial number on SIM card tray to identify the phone. 10 minutes later I was on my way out td door with a new phone.

 

[Brandonjr36]

The serial number is still printed on the SIM card tray. I did pretty much the same thing to my 8 as OP about a month after I got it. Took it into the Apple store and it wouldn’t respond to any of their diagnostic tools. The tech used the serial number on SIM card tray to identify the phone. 10 minutes later I was on my way out td door with a new phone.

with that concept couldnt you just take another iphone and swap sim trays and get a new one?

 

[cyclingplatypus]

Check your homeowners/renters insurance - hard lesson to learn that's for sure.

You don't have to look far for examples of people trying to scam the system, plenty of examples here. I remember one where a guy wanted to know if they could tell that he put his phone in an oven and if they'd replace it with the model that was just released (this was a while ago, maybe have been a 4 or even an iPod touch).

CYA is great when it is your A that is being covered - not so much in a case like this.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Ok people anyone experienced Apple's Applecare+ not covering damage? Here's my story and may it serve as a warning to what Applecare+ does and does not cover. To say I'm disgusted is an understatement.
I did something dumb by leaving my iPhone8+ on the roof of my car and driving off (before anyone says "it's my fault" yes I get that, but guess what it can happen to anyone). By the time I realised I was 30 mins away and I could see where it was on my girlfriends phone using Find My iPhone. So we turn around and about 10 minutes before I get back to it it stops transmitting its location.
I get to it a find it in lots of pieces (that damn glass back), but I pick up the big bits and figure Applecare+ accidental coverage will cover it. WRONG.....no sim card tray, no identification of the iPhone, no coverage. Let this serve as a warning that Apple told me over the phone, Accidental coverage only covers what they deem to be economically repairable. So my advice avoid Applecare+ and go with the carriers insurance.

Yeah, if they can't identify the phone they can't cover it. They covered this accident 3 years ago...