AppleCare+ to End Informal Free Replacement Policy for Damaged iPhones

[futch]

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For those of you with an iPhone 4, how durable has it been?

I have owned the 3gs for almost 2 years and have dropped it so many times on concrete, tile, asphalt, etc. and outside of getting scratched the phone still works and the screen has never shattered. The biggest damage is a half inch long hairline crack at the bottom where the charging cable plugs in.

Can I expect similar durability? Or will the front/back glass break easily on the iPhone 4/iPhone 4s? I'm not worried about scratches, just broken/shattered glass.

Thanks.

I have ever used a case, 1) cause I love the look of the iPhone 4 and 2) I enjoy using the Apple Dock. I have dropped mine on the concrete and tile several times with very minimal damage. The damage was so little that when I started having issues with the A4 chip turning the screen yellow when it warms up that the Genius Bar replaced it no questions asked. Outside of a few light scratches and some very minor dings on the metal band it's pretty tough.

Thanks. I hate cases on my 3GS for the same reason. I love the phone, a case makes it bulky and less attractive. I already preordered the 4S, bit was just
curious about it's real world durability.

 

[Sequin]

Who cares. Applecare is such a huge waste of money. I only had it for my phone because my dad bought it, but I'm still iPhone 3 (THE FIRST ONE) and it has had absolutely no problems. Not really worth it for my computer since I can fix that **** myself.

 

[charlituna]

I wonder if they need to then update their terms and conditions? They seem at odds with the requirement to buy at time of purchase.

I suspect that you can buy it at any time in that one year. HOWEVER if you are 'encouraged' to buy it due to an incident of ADH they want it clear that you won't get the $49 replacement price. Because damage before coverage was bought isn't covered. So you will pay $199 but they also consider it using one of your two incidents during the first two years of owning the phone so they are going to be nice and let you buy the other possible incident being covered at half price if you do it that day

They would rather folks buy it now before anything can happen and be covered.

 

[iChrist]

I hope that Apple isn't changing one of it's best loyalty creation features - the ability of the Apple Store employees to fix / replace things without charge. This has wowed me in the past and created or enforced tremendous appreciation and loyalty that has translated into additional purchases. I've seen several posts of the years from friends who had an iPhone issue and note how they've just had the Apple employee say - "no problem" and replaced their phone for free. Again, they are out there raving on Twitter or FB about really good customer service that dramatically exceeds their expectations. It would be a shame if they've hired the business pricing consultant that HP is using to find some additional short-term dollars.

Very true. But MBA can not understand this. lol
1 of 4 graduate degree is MBA, so we know what kind of average mind the field attracts. Or shall I say, below average. Haha.

 

[padapada]

An important reason I chose a MBP was AppleCare.

My 1000 euro SSD was broken. Apple replaced it, no questions asked.

Next laptop/phone/... will be Apple.

Patrick

 

[alent1234]

i had a free replacement for an ipad 2 a few months back due to me dropping it and cracking the glass. I bet it wasn't all customer loyalty. pretty sure part of it was an MBA figuring out that it's pretty cheap to replace an ipad and fix the old one to use as another warranty replacement when you can't manufacture the product fast enough

 

[MacManTexas56]

I don't know, I think i'd rather take the risk as I think there is a $49 deductible if they replace your phone...so in reality you are only saving $50 IF you break your phone, if not you are out $100. If you break your phone twice though it is a decent deal.

exactly. they are giving you a $50 discount on the CHANCE that you break your phone once. i'd rather save my money and take that chance. obviously apple has calculated the chance and with the program they are betting that people only break them once. if that is the case people are paying quite a bit of money upfront to them on that little chance.

 

[charlituna]

I hope that Apple isn't changing one of it's best loyalty creation features - the ability of the Apple Store employees to fix / replace things without charge.

They are. Because it went from a loyalty tool to an abused system. Twitter etc has been a part of it. Now you can say that so and so got it replaced and so should you even if the problem isn't the same.

Folks also abuse the system from both sides. Geniuses replacing blatant user damage for free cause she's hot. Customers coming in over and over demanding free replacements for clear abuse.

People need to learn to take care of their stuff and when Apple coddles them over and over with no penalty it helps no one. Would I replace my son's favor toy after he accidentally breaks it. Sure, once. But when he decides it would be fun to drop it over the stairwell and it breaks he's not getting another one unless he wants to use his allowance to buy it. Why shouldn't adults be treated the same way.

----------

So if you damage your phone, you expect a free replacement or else you are going elsewhere? Ah, I love the American attitude.

I suspect Apple's response to that would be something on the lines of "here, let me hold the door open for you"

 

[WeegieMac]

Did you not read the article? It explicitly says that they apparently no longer have the leeway to waive the $199 fee for replacing a damaged phone.

I presume this means out of warranty iPhones? Within your 1 year standard warranty you can still go in and get it replaced for free should something go wrong? Surely?

 

[charlituna]

So for those who didn't purchase AppleCare+, what about the first year of warranty? No more free replacements even though the phone is still under warranty?

Apple Care never covered damage replacements as a guaranteed item. It was always about defect. Covering damage was a case by case issue at the discretion of the person you were talking to at that moment.

If you get AC+ and it is something defective that warrants a full item replacement you'll still get it free like always

 

[Certinfy]

I hope this doesn't change much in the UK.

 

[RedReplicant]

Who cares. Applecare is such a huge waste of money. I only had it for my phone because my dad bought it, but I'm still iPhone 3 (THE FIRST ONE) and it has had absolutely no problems. Not really worth it for my computer since I can fix that **** myself.

The day you lose something expensive to replace like the logic board in your MBP will be the day you regret this line of thought.

 

[Sandman1969]

Ok, they are covered, my mistake. I just replaced 3 screens, they cost $65 each, shipped. $65 < $148 however, is it not? Heck, same site sells iPhone 4 batteries for $13.99. In other words, parts are cheaper to replace yourself than to file a claim, even for accidental damage.

Where do you order your screens? I may replace my 4's screen once my 4S comes in.

 

[Astrologer-Ron]

No AP+ via phone

I just called Apple and they will not offer the new applecare over the phone nor could the add it to a pre-order. I think it's insane to expect those who pre-ordered to go into a store- that's the whole point- to avoid the store!
It's almost so obvious as to be intentional.

 

[the8thark]

No...they're covering accidental damage now, which they didn't before.

This is the only important thing from this article.
It's pretty much the same ol AppleCare for iPhone + accidental coverage for $49 per incident.

Soooooo . . . .
Apple here's a picture of my iPhone. So for $249 can I get it replaced?

 

[ericinboston]

Quite a few people here are giving examples of plain old Warranty coverage (such as their 2 year old iMac dying) that are unrelated to accidental damage.

I can't stress enough that if you use a credit card to purchase your items, MOST CREDIT CARD COMPANIES offer a free, extended warranty on every single product you buy. For example, Amex gives me 1 extra year on everything I buy that initially comes with a 1 year warranty. It is not some 3rd party coverage like you buy at Best Buy or Sears...this is a "we extend the original warranty by 1 year" deal. If my product comes with a 3 year warranty, I still get 1 extra year making it 4 years.

If at 13 months my item breaks, I simply call Amex, give them the estimate of how much it would cost to fix, and Amex either 1)gives me the full money to fix it or 2)gives me my purchase price of the original item back. I have used the Amex Warranty Program 2 times and both times they just option #2 which was much much better for me.

Thus with all this said above, I never buy any kind of extended warranties from the manufacturer...there's really no point since I get a freebie from Amex.

Choose your credit cards wisely.

 

[lshaner]

I sent an e-mail to Tim Cook and I received a call back from Apple's executive offices.

They said that One can buy the iPhone 4S from an approved carrier and separately buy the AppleCare+ from an Apple Store (or online), provided the AppleCare+ coverage is activated within 30 days of the iPhone 4S purchase.


Based on Apple's reply and the already known information...

The main changes from regular AppleCare for iPhone 4 (and prior) vs. iPhone 4S with Apple Care+, are as follows:

1. The standard iPhone 4S warranty is 1 year, and does not cover accidental damage.
2. The cost of AppleCare+ is $99 (vs. AppleCare at $69)
3. AppleCare+ extends iPhone 4S warranty to 2 years and provides up to two "accidental damage" replacements for an additional $49 fee per incidence.
4. The AppleCare+ "buy and register/activate" window is 30 days (vs. AppleCare within 1 year)
5. One can in fact buy the phone from Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint and separately buy the AppleCare+ from an Apple Store (or online), provided the AppleCare+ coverage is activated within 30 days of the iPhone 4S purchase.

----------

Now we have to come into the stores to purchase AppleCare+ if we pre-ordered without it thinking we'd have a year?

That's lame. Means we can't activate our phone on Friday and coming into the store will be a non-option with the crazy lines.

See my recent post... You can order the AppleCare+ package from the online Apple Store and activate it within 30 days of the iPhone 4S purchase.

----------

It was not even an option online to purchase for me via the iphone app.

Then I got an email a couple of days later stating that I was not offered the Applecare:

"Dear Apple Customer,

Thank you for your recent iPhone purchase at the Apple Online Store.

We would like to let you know that every iPhone comes with one year of
hardware repair coverage through its limited warranty and up to
90 days of complimentary support. AppleCare+ for iPhone extends your
coverage to two years from the original purchase date of your iPhone
and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each
subject to a $49 service fee.

We noticed you weren’t given the opportunity to add AppleCare+ to your
iPhone. If you would like to extend your coverage for only $99, please
reply to this email.

Thank you for shopping with Apple.

Sincerely,
Apple Online Store Team "

So- how do you interpret this, I did not reply thinking I had a year.

See my recent post... You have 30 days from the date of iPhone 4S to buy+activate AppleCare+.

 

[littlegreeny]

I purchased my 4S directly from Apple and did not buy the AC+ because I thought I could buy it within the first year. Per the advice of another macrumors member, I sent an email to applestoreinfo@apple.com with my order number asking them to add AC+ to my order and charge my original CC. I never received a reply but checked my order status online and AC+ was added.

 

[lshaner]

So for those who didn't purchase AppleCare+, what about the first year of warranty? No more free replacements even though the phone is still under warranty?

The 1 year HW warranty still applies -- Apple will replace the phone if necessary, according to the T's & C's of what constitutes a valid claim (HW defect vs. accidental damage = your fault, not covered).

However with AppleCare+, the HW warranty is extended to 2 years and you get software / "how to" support and if you do incur accidental damage (e.g. your fault) you can get the iPhone 4S replaced for $49 up to two times (vs. $200 that they used to charge for a refurb).

 

[ARF900]

No wonder Steve apparently made a plan for the future as this lot seem more bothered about pandering to the shareholders than the customers.

I dont think shareholders are going to like this. Apple is renowned for its customer service. And it takes a huge cut less than a week after the death of the iconic CEO? Not a good idea. At all.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

I have a source myself who pointed out that this first $149 replacement is counted as one of the two incidents that is covered under AC+ so you would get one more incident at $49 and then all others are $199 no freebies.

And before anyone asks according to my source the change was in part due to customers trying to game the system and get multiple freebies and freebies for blatant damage when the flexibility was supposed to be as a favor for those that really just had an accident happen. Knocked down the stairs in the Metro during rush hour is one thing. Threw it against a wall cause you were made at your boss is another.

I have a source myself who pointed out that this first $149 replacement is counted as one of the two incidents that is covered under AC+ so you would get one more incident at $49 and then all others are $199 no freebies.

And before anyone asks according to my source the change was in part due to customers trying to game the system and get multiple freebies and freebies for blatant damage when the flexibility was supposed to be as a favor for those that really just had an accident happen. Knocked down the stairs in the Metro during rush hour is one thing. Threw it against a wall cause you were made at your boss is another.

I purchased a refurbished 3G i-Touch directly from Apple a couple of months ago. The battery was running down so fast I checked with my kids/grands and they all told me something wasn't right. Went to the Apple instructions on how to check the battery, followed them, and found the battery wasn't lasting like it should.

There is no Apple store within 150 miles, so spouse took it with him on a trip and stopped in the Apple store in another state 300 miles from here. The young man hooked it up to something, said it wasn't the battery, but there was something wrong. He unwrapped a brand new box and switched my refurb'ed with a brand new 3G Touch. He specifically told my spouse it was brand new and would show up in the Apple system as a new unit when I registered it.

I really appreciated the service...it was outstanding and completely unexpected. My first ever smart phone will be here shortly. It is an Apple.

 

[citi]

My iPhone4 is in pristine cosmetic condition, never dropped and never taken out of cover... no water damage. I have bought many Apple products from the same store over past 10 years. 73 days out of warranty, the Home Button stops for no reason and I take it to them. They can't find any reason to blame me, the hardware or the software. All the smiling, cajoling and emotional blackmail did not work and all they suggested was pay $150 for a replacement phone!!

Please let me know what store did you manage to get your Home button fixed from.

Thanks.

Apple Store, Simi Valley CA. I JUST replaced my phone for a non responsive home button.

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

However, the problem is Verizon was not even offering the AC+ to their customers during their preorder, therefore they could not buy it when they initially bought the phone (requirement by apple). Now if they want it, they have to go to the store with an unopened box to purchase it for $99?! (on one of the busiest days of the year, I might add!) or the pre orderer's have to wait until another day to go to the store to add it ... still not opening their phone box. Not a verizon customer thank goodness, but I feel really bad for them. Verizon did offer their plan of $11.99 a month which comes out to $287.76 for the two years. (not sure if the customer has to pay the $49 service fee as well - that point is unclear - if they do not it appears to be a better deal - but who really knows) just sayin....

Sorry, I assumed we all know there will be an option for EVERYONE to purchase AC+, which it looks like Apple is doing.

Is it only $199 to replace the iPhone, or only if it's the 16gb model? I have the 64gb model coming...would it be double?

I wasn't sure about that but someone after your post answered.

 

[Wicked1]

So if you buy a 4S and do not buy Applecare right after your phone hits a year and has no warranty, it will cost $199 to get an iPhone 4s White 32GB replaced?

Second question from what I am reading is it will cost you $99 to add a second year with two accidental drops +$50 each incident, so essentially $200 for up to two years.

I am very very careful with my gear however what will piss me off and lead me away from the iphone is that I buy the 32GB model for $299, then right after a year if there is something wrong with the phone it will cost me $199 to get a replacement? Is this the bottom line to what I am reading?

 

[naaranha]

New insurance company...anyone heard of it?

http://www.securranty.com/iphone-warranty.html#link1

Seems like the best deal....let me know what you guys think