AppleCare+ "Cosmetic Damage" Conundrum

[Brookzy]

then smash the whole phone bend the casing so they cant put a new screen on and pay to get it replaced

As I said earlier... I'm not interested in committing fraud.
[doublepost=1475370129][/doublepost]

Heh...what a difference 12 days makes.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...t-scratches-watch-this.1998532/#post-23516292

This is hypothetical. No damage has been sustained.

 

[fischersd]

Because this is all hypothetical! I'm debating whether to buy AC+. No damage has been sustained yet. And the photo was indicative of the level of damage for which I would probably get an AC+ replacement for.

Heh. Ok. That wasn't entirely clear. Thought you had sustained some damage, but were spit-balling options.

 

[itsray]

this is a dumb thread then.

 

[Brookzy]

this is a dumb thread then.

?

I'm debating whether to buy AppleCare+.

If I can drop my phone, sustain superficial damage, and use one of my two replacements to get a new one, I will buy it.

If I can't, then I won't.

That's the purpose of the thread, and this was clear in the original post.

 

[fischersd]

?

I'm debating whether to buy AppleCare+.

If I can drop my phone, sustain superficial damage, and use one of my two replacements to get a new one, I will buy it.

If I can't, then I won't.

That's the purpose of the thread, and this was clear in the original post.

Ok, then it's easy. Officially, you can't. Scratches and regular wear and tear (of which, this tiny little chip in the corner is pretty routine) aren't covered under the AC+ policy. True, you can get lucky and get a rep at AC+ (or someone in store) that decides to bend the rules a bit, but that's becoming more rare over time.

 

[Brookzy]

Ok, then it's easy. Officially, you can't. Scratches and regular wear and tear (of which, this tiny little chip in the corner is pretty routine) aren't covered under the AC+ policy. True, you can get lucky and get a rep at AC+ (or someone in store) that decides to bend the rules a bit, but that's becoming more rare over time.

The point remains though - if cosmetic damage is not considered "accidental damage", then what is considered accidental damage?

In my day-to-day life, the only real accidental damage I could inflict would be cosmetic damage.

Dropping my phone out of my pocket probably isn't going to impair its function.

I'm curious to know what Apple has in mind with its accidental damage phrase.

Indeed I think if I got an uncooperative Genius, explaining to a manager or whoever that buying accidental damage cover meant you thought you were covered for damage that was accidental is a very reasonable and convincing point of view.

 

[megapopular]

TL;DR:

• Hypothetically, could I get an AppleCare+ replacement for cosmetic damage on par with that in the photo below, despite the T&Cs saying otherwise?
• What the hell is "accidental damage" if it excludes cosmetic damage?

I've never bothered with AppleCare+, however with the rising cost of out-of-warranty replacements (now £325 for a 7 Plus!) I thought it was time to join the club.

My understanding was if I had AppleCare+, and I dropped my iPhone, and it caused a crack to the screen and some ugly damage to the shell (to the sort of standard in the photo below), that I could pay the excess fee and get a new phone.

View attachment 661919
(Note this is not my photo, it's just an example I found online to illustrate my point.)

But the terms and conditions specifically exclude cosmetic damage that does not affect the functioning of the device. That would imply the iPhone in the picture above, for instance, might be eligible for a screen replacement but certainly nothing else.

So, what is the point in AppleCare+? Because I cannot envision a probable scenario where I could accidentally damage an iPhone to the point that it doesn't function (except screen damage) - especially now it's water resistant.

Accidentally running your iPhone over with a car is basically the only accident that could stop it functioning.

If cosmetic damage is excluded, what an earth is included?

I would wager that the vast majority of incidents of damage to iPhones are caused by drops and falls, but a drop or fall would almost never stop an iPhone from functioning. It would just create cosmetic damage and perhaps break the screen.

So are the T&Cs overzealous, and in reality people get AppleCare+ replacements for cosmetic damage all the time?

Or, alternatively, is AppleCare+ enforced as per the T&Cs, thus making it largely pointless from an accidental damage perspective?

With the iPhone 7 series including waterproofing, I think that damage like that you alluded to in the picture might cause damage to the waterproofing seal. That's my guess and it would probably lead to a replacement.

 

[fischersd]

The point remains though - if cosmetic damage is not considered "accidental damage", then what is considered accidental damage?

In my day-to-day life, the only real accidental damage I could inflict would be cosmetic damage.

Dropping my phone out of my pocket probably isn't going to impair its function.

I'm curious to know what Apple has in mind with its accidental damage phrase.

Indeed I think if I got an uncooperative Genius, explaining to a manager or whoever that buying accidental damage cover meant you thought you were covered for damage that was accidental is a very reasonable and convincing point of view.

Right, but you've only got 2 accidental damage claims over the 2 years of the policy - so why would you use it up for something trivial? If you did, then a week or two later, you drop it, smash the screen and there goes your last one. *poof*

Better to try to not use them at all.

With the iPhone 7 series including waterproofing, I think that damage like that you alluded to in the picture might cause damage to the waterproofing seal. That's my guess and it would probably lead to a replacement.

Heh. I want to use a cattle prod on everyone that keeps using "waterproof". There IS NO SUCH THING when talking about electronics - or watches. You only have WATER RESISTANCE. (waterproof would mean impervious to penetration, regardless of depth or duration - think nuggets of dense elements).

Wondering how many threads we're going to have shortly with all of the Darwin candidates that took their phones swimming....

 

[Brookzy]

Right, but you've only got 2 accidental damage claims over the 2 years of the policy - so why would you use it up for something trivial? If you did, then a week or two later, you drop it, smash the screen and there goes your last one. *poof*

Better to try to not use them at all.

I'll have this phone at most a year (which further complicates matters) and it's very unlikely I'd need to use it more than twice. But yes I would be a more liberal with the first usage than the second, obviously. Damage to the standard of that shown in the sample image is definitely what I would try to replace, however. It's fugly and would seriously impact resale value.

With the iPhone 7 series including waterproofing, I think that damage like that you alluded to in the picture might cause damage to the waterproofing seal. That's my guess and it would probably lead to a replacement.

Heh. I want to use a cattle prod on everyone that keeps using "waterproof". There IS NO SUCH THING when talking about electronics - or watches. You only have WATER RESISTANCE. (waterproof would mean impervious to penetration, regardless of depth or duration - think nuggets of dense elements).

Wondering how many threads we're going to have shortly with all of the Darwin candidates that took their phones swimming....

If you wanted to correct colloquial use of language we would be here all day. For normal people, ability to withstand 1 metre of water for 30 minutes is enough to call something waterproof.

 

[kielenrique]

I'll have this phone at most a year (which further complicates matters) and it's very unlikely I'd need to use it more than twice. But yes I would be a more liberal with the first usage than the second, obviously. Damage to the standard of that shown in the sample image is definitely what I would try to replace, however. It's fugly and would seriously impact resale value.




If you wanted to correct colloquial use of language we would be here all day. For normal people, ability to withstand 1 metre of water for 30 minutes is enough to call something waterproof.

Hello. I've been wondering about this too. I know it's been four years since this whole thread happened but I've had my iPhone SE 2020 for a year now and it too is cosmetically worn down. It's still under the one year Limited Warranty ('til next month). No idea what to do about said chips and dents and the micro scratches on the glass sections.

 

[0128672]

Hello. I've been wondering about this too. I know it's been four years since this whole thread happened but I've had my iPhone SE 2020 for a year now and it too is cosmetically worn down. It's still under the one year Limited Warranty ('til next month). No idea what to do about said chips and dents and the micro scratches on the glass sections.

The best thing to do to understand what the one-year limited warranty covers is to read the warranty:

Legal - iOS Warranty Document Us - Apple

www.apple.com

This link is for iPhones in the US, but the https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/ presents choices for other locations and languages. If after reading the warranty you feel you can make a reasonable claim based on defects in materials and workmanship, you can contact Apple to pursue your claim. The easiest thing to do is make a store appointment to ask.