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iPhone X Battery replacement at non-AASP, they replaced my screen/digitizer with cheap knockoff

A

ataboc

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 27, 2007
285
3
Ca
Hi, Macrumors it’s been a while!

I’m currently traveling for work in a small east coast town and had my iPhone X battery replaced yesterday by a non-AASP store. Phone is 3 years old, battery health was 83% and I like to keep and use my Apple products for years (still using 2012 11” Air), so I figured it was time.

Due to C19 and this small town, there was no possibility for Apple to provide the service so I begrudgingly accepted my fate at a third party store. A non-Apple battery I could live with, but for some reason, they replaced my screen with a cheap LCD and it looks terrible. I immediately noticed and brought it up. The clerk showed me the signed contract that states in the event of needing to replace the screen, the quality might be less than.

Anyway, I’m sharing so that you may not have to suffer the same fate, and ask if it’s possible to source an Apple OLED screen/digitizer online, or if the new SE would be a downgrade from my X.
 
ataboc said:
Hi, Macrumors it’s been a while!

I’m currently traveling for work in a small east coast town and had my iPhone X battery replaced yesterday by a non-AASP store. Phone is 3 years old, battery health was 83% and I like to keep and use my Apple products for years (still using 2012 11” Air), so I figured it was time.

Due to C19 and this small town, there was no possibility for Apple to provide the service so I begrudgingly accepted my fate at a third party store. A non-Apple battery I could live with, but for some reason, they replaced my screen with a cheap LCD and it looks terrible. I immediately noticed and brought it up. The clerk showed me the signed contract that states in the event of needing to replace the screen, the quality might be less than.

Anyway, I’m sharing so that you may not have to suffer the same fate, and ask if it’s possible to source an Apple OLED screen/digitizer online, or if the new SE would be a downgrade from my X.
Click to expand...
Sorry you got taken for a ride.

I find it hard to believe that an lcd screen would be able to be substituted for an oled screen and the hardware/software did not notice.

Couldn't you have either lived with 83% for a while, ordered a new phone from Apple or ordered some type of battery backup to tide you over?

Posts like this just confirm that seemingly third party repair shops are crooks. I still want to know how an lcd screen and digitizer works on a phone that is supposed to have oled.
 
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Reactions: akash.nu, tt061282 and theapplehead
I’m not sure how it works either, there’s no adjustment for tru-tone and the whole screen is just, I’d say, fuzzy
 
ataboc said:
Hi, Macrumors it’s been a while!

I’m currently traveling for work in a small east coast town and had my iPhone X battery replaced yesterday by a non-AASP store. Phone is 3 years old, battery health was 83% and I like to keep and use my Apple products for years (still using 2012 11” Air), so I figured it was time.

Due to C19 and this small town, there was no possibility for Apple to provide the service so I begrudgingly accepted my fate at a third party store. A non-Apple battery I could live with, but for some reason, they replaced my screen with a cheap LCD and it looks terrible. I immediately noticed and brought it up. The clerk showed me the signed contract that states in the event of needing to replace the screen, the quality might be less than.

Anyway, I’m sharing so that you may not have to suffer the same fate, and ask if it’s possible to source an Apple OLED screen/digitizer online, or if the new SE would be a downgrade from my X.
Click to expand...

Complain to Apple. They might want to bankrupt this little shop.
 
Are you sure it’s an LCD they put on and not a cheap 3rd party OLED?

Does your battery health still show in settings? I know getting a battery replacement at 3rd party store for iPhone XS, XR, 11, and 11 pro’s (and the Max) will take battery health away and the phone will say “unable to verify this phone has an Apple certified battery” and it will also say under Battery Health that your battery needs serviced.

I can’t remember if that started with the iPhone X though.
 
If the screen was fine before and they replaced it, they basically stole your screen. It doesn't matter what you signed; you can't "sign away" your basic consumer right to not be defrauded.

Unfortunately a lawsuit will likely cost more than any value you would get back. Scammers count on that and it's why they operate mostly with impunity.

As someone above said, though, you might want to report them to Apple. They might or might not do anything, but I know they generally don't care for businesses defrauding their customers.
 
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Battery replacements always carry risk even if done at an Apple Store. It's not unheard of for the screen to get damaged when removing it.
As an Apple tech told me: "opening up an iPhone is like open heart surgery. Anything can go wrong and sometimes does".
 
The worst part with these third-party repair stores, they will not give you back your stock parts. They actually will keep those parts and they will recycle them for money, so they actually make additional money off your damaged display.

Those displays they use are complete garbage, UBreakiFix is another culprit of being accused of using sub-par quality displays that are poorly calibrated, the color control balance is terrible, poor brightness, etc.

What I would do, is they have a corporate facility, escalate your case to them, you’re wasting your time even talking to anyone at that third-party repair shop. They probably have been through this many times with customers in your situation and they will just thwart you off the best they can.
 
aakshey said:
Complain to Apple. They might want to bankrupt this little shop.
Click to expand...
How would they do that? It's a non authorized 3rd party repair shop, I'm sure Apple would tell the OP he shouldn't of trusted the shops ability to repair the phone properly if something was damaged during the battery replacement. They warn against using anyone but an AASP for service/repair. Stories like this are nothing new
 
Yea I had the same thing happen to my friend at a non-AASP when he replaced his iPhone 7 screen, as soon as he put on his polarized sunglasses he noticed right away the screen was not an original part. Just curious what the price difference was on your screen, I just looked at Best Buy and they charge $279 for repair of the iPhone X screen.
 
LCD for iPhone X can break the board because of the different power draw (backlight).

This behaviour from that shop is disgusting.
 
zorinlynx said:
If the screen was fine before and they replaced it, they basically stole your screen. It doesn't matter what you signed; you can't "sign away" your basic consumer right to not be defrauded.

Unfortunately a lawsuit will likely cost more than any value you would get back. Scammers count on that and it's why they operate mostly with impunity.

As someone above said, though, you might want to report them to Apple. They might or might not do anything, but I know they generally don't care for businesses defrauding their customers.
Click to expand...
This. They basically stole OP's original screen for parts /resale and substituted cheap knockoff part.
[automerge]1594521823[/automerge]
tt061282 said:
I’m still wondering if there is an LCD out there even 3rd party that will work on the iPhone X?!?
Click to expand...
There are a TON of fake parts for iPhones out there. Many safeguards that Apple utilized have been reverse engineered.
[automerge]1594522111[/automerge]
Lekro said:
LCD for iPhone X can break the board because of the different power draw (backlight).

This behaviour from that shop is disgusting.
Click to expand...
It's disgusting, but common and for certain segment of the market, it's actually better than nothing. We have a ton of these kind of shops in Indonesia, and like it or not, they can actually be useful when you need service for a phone that is no longer serviced by the original manufacturer.

For example, my cousin had an old iPhone 4 screen cracked. It's easier and cheaper to just get screen replaced with a knockoff part from these joints, and at least the phone is functional.
 
Last edited:
ian87w said:
This. They basically stole OP's original screen for parts /resale and substituted cheap knockoff part.
[automerge]1594521823[/automerge]

There are a TON of fake parts for iPhones out there. Many safeguards that Apple utilized have been reverse engineered.
[automerge]1594522111[/automerge]

It's disgusting, but common and for certain segment of the market, it's actually better than nothing. We have a ton of these kind of shops in Indonesia, and like it or not, they can actually be useful when you need service for a phone that is no longer serviced by the original manufacturer.

For example, my cousin had an old iPhone 4 screen cracked. It's easier and cheaper to just get screen replaced with a knockoff part from these joints, and at least the phone is functional.
Click to expand...

So you’re condoning them?
 
ian87w said:
This. They basically stole OP's original screen for parts /resale and substituted cheap knockoff part.
[automerge]1594521823[/automerge]

There are a TON of fake parts for iPhones out there. Many safeguards that Apple utilized have been reverse engineered.
[automerge]1594522111[/automerge]

It's disgusting, but common and for certain segment of the market, it's actually better than nothing. We have a ton of these kind of shops in Indonesia, and like it or not, they can actually be useful when you need service for a phone that is no longer serviced by the original manufacturer.

For example, my cousin had an old iPhone 4 screen cracked. It's easier and cheaper to just get screen replaced with a knockoff part from these joints, and at least the phone is functional.
Click to expand...

I’d just order the part and fix it myself. I work at a reputable repair shop but even without the knowledge of fixing iOS devices I’d have better chances of getting a fixed device in it’s original condition than choosing those lowlifes with their 5cm fingernails.

Sorry for the rant but things like these make third party repair untrusted and since it’s my field I get pretty upset when people just go for their idiot money.
 
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