Did old Apple set my expectations too high?

[ajinaz]

Our family has all had iPhones since 2008. Since then we have bought strictly Apple products. Ipads, Macbooks, IMacs and daughter just purchased an Apple Watch. Over the years we have had cause to deal with customer service (phone and Genius Bar) and they were always awesome. I can honestly say that every interaction ended with me feeling they were the "Gold Standard". My latest interaction has seriously made me question this belief.

My wife has a 6 plus that was purchased last October. She pretty much babies her phone and has never dropped it or had it out of her Ballistic case. Anyway, the other day the screen started acting odd. Little lines would flicker at the top of the screen and the screen would become unresponsive. After a while it would start working again. I made an appointment at the Genius bar for two days out. When we got there we were told that they were way behind and for us to come back in 45 minutes before they could check us in. We came back in 45 minutes and checked in and they told us it would still be another 30 minutes. I've never experienced this kind of wait with an appointment before but maybe I've always been lucky?

When we finally get waited on the guy says, "whats going on?" My wife says, "I've been getting these lines..." The guy cuts her off off and says, "I already know whats wrong I see this problem every day. You need a replacement phone."

The phone is out of warranty so he said it would be $329. In a normal situation I would have said that sucks for me and got the replacement. However, I got really hung up on him saying, "I see it every day." so we left. I know I could have purchased Apple Care but in my mind it would still cost me over $200 in the long run.

Is this a known issue like the camera issue or was the guy just talking to talk?

Am I being unrealistic to think that one year life on an expensive phone is unacceptable? We still have friends using our old 4's with no issue. I just feel that Apple in the "old days" would deal differently with a known issue.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Our family has all had iPhones since 2008. Since then we have bought strictly Apple products. Ipads, Macbooks, IMacs and daughter just purchased an Apple Watch. Over the years we have had cause to deal with customer service (phone and Genius Bar) and they were always awesome. I can honestly say that every interaction ended with me feeling they were the "Gold Standard". My latest interaction has seriously made me question this belief.

My wife has a 6 plus that was purchased last October. She pretty much babies her phone and has never dropped it or had it out of her Ballistic case. Anyway, the other day the screen started acting odd. Little lines would flicker at the top of the screen and the screen would become unresponsive. After a while it would start working again. I made an appointment at the Genius bar for two days out. When we got there we were told that they were way behind and for us to come back in 45 minutes before they could check us in. We came back in 45 minutes and checked in and they told us it would still be another 30 minutes. I've never experienced this kind of wait with an appointment before but maybe I've always been lucky?

When we finally get waited on the guy says, "whats going on?" My wife says, "I've been getting these lines..." The guy cuts her off off and says, "I already know whats wrong I see this problem every day. You need a replacement phone."

The phone is out of warranty so he said it would be $329. In a normal situation I would have said that sucks for me and got the replacement. However, I got really hung up on him saying, "I see it every day." so we left. I know I could have purchased Apple Care but in my mind it would still cost me over $200 in the long run.

Is this a known issue like the camera issue or was the guy just talking to talk?

Am I being unrealistic to think that one year life on an expensive phone is unacceptable? We still have friends using our old 4's with no issue. I just feel that Apple in the "old days" would deal differently with a known issue.

My wife's iPhone 4 had a home button issue when it was 2 months out of warranty. We were also told we'd have to pay for a replacement phone which I felt was unacceptable for a phone that was just over a year old. We asked how long they expected a phone to last and I suggested under the sale of goods act the design was not fit for purpose due to so many returns. I was very polite throughout however and we walked away with a free replacement. I think it often depends on the person serving and how it is approached. I know in the EU certain goods are covered by law for 24 months despite manufacturers only offering 12. It is probably different in other parts of the globe though.

 

[Newtons Apple]

What country are you in?

 

[eyoungren]

Our family has all had iPhones since 2008. Since then we have bought strictly Apple products. Ipads, Macbooks, IMacs and daughter just purchased an Apple Watch. Over the years we have had cause to deal with customer service (phone and Genius Bar) and they were always awesome. I can honestly say that every interaction ended with me feeling they were the "Gold Standard". My latest interaction has seriously made me question this belief.

My wife has a 6 plus that was purchased last October. She pretty much babies her phone and has never dropped it or had it out of her Ballistic case. Anyway, the other day the screen started acting odd. Little lines would flicker at the top of the screen and the screen would become unresponsive. After a while it would start working again. I made an appointment at the Genius bar for two days out. When we got there we were told that they were way behind and for us to come back in 45 minutes before they could check us in. We came back in 45 minutes and checked in and they told us it would still be another 30 minutes. I've never experienced this kind of wait with an appointment before but maybe I've always been lucky?

When we finally get waited on the guy says, "whats going on?" My wife says, "I've been getting these lines..." The guy cuts her off off and says, "I already know whats wrong I see this problem every day. You need a replacement phone."

The phone is out of warranty so he said it would be $329. In a normal situation I would have said that sucks for me and got the replacement. However, I got really hung up on him saying, "I see it every day." so we left. I know I could have purchased Apple Care but in my mind it would still cost me over $200 in the long run.

Is this a known issue like the camera issue or was the guy just talking to talk?

Am I being unrealistic to think that one year life on an expensive phone is unacceptable? We still have friends using our old 4's with no issue. I just feel that Apple in the "old days" would deal differently with a known issue.

The only thing that jumps out here for me is that the "Genius" mentioned the word iPhone replacement.

Lines on a screen indicate a faulty screen. That's a screen replacement, which is $130 and NOT an iPhone replacement. I'd try again somewhere else and mention that the screen is bad. Unless there is some specific Apple-only-knows reason for why lines on a screen would require the entire iPhone to be replaced I don't see why they cannot just replace the screen. Unless it's a logicboard issue - which could be the case. But the genius diagnosed that without even taking it into the back.

As far as waiting…well, that is the norm now. The last time I went to Apple I got a replacement iPhone for the cost of a screen replacement because they were so busy they did not have the time to properly look into my issue (a bootloop after restoring my jailbroken iPhone). I was there to have a shattered screen replaced.

The genius who gave me my new phone was so busy I had to deal with activation myself.

 

[Goatllama]

Why would one bad experience invalidate years of good service? Aside from that, have you already restored the phone using iTunes and set up as new to guarantee it's a hardware problem? And anyone (and here I'm referring to that 'Genius' you encountered) that jumps to conclusions that quickly does not strike me as trustworthy.

 

[ajinaz]

What country are you in?

US Arizona

 

[eyoungren]

US Arizona

Arrowhead Towne Center?

They are always busy. And the last genius I had was an arrogant priss.

 

[ajinaz]

Why would one bad experience invalidate years of good service? Aside from that, have you already restored the phone using iTunes and set up as new to guarantee it's a hardware problem? And anyone (and here I'm referring to that 'Genius' you encountered) that jumps to conclusions that quickly does not strike me as trustworthy.

Sorry if I was unclear. I don't see myself jumping ship. in fact a watch is on my Xmas list. I'm just questioning if perhaps things are changing for the worse. No I have not tried restore. I will tonight.

 

[ajinaz]

Arrowhead Towne Center?

They are always busy. And the last genius I had was an arrogant priss.

Yep. Good guess. And he acted like he just wanted us gone.

 

[eyoungren]

Yep. Good guess. And he acted like he just wanted us gone.

Well, I live in the West Valley so Arrowhead is the store I go to. There's only one other and that's the Biltmore area.

Don't know why they are so busy there lately, but it was packed the Sunday I went in. You have to have an appointment now. Walk-ins just aren't served.

However, I've been there quite a few times and this is the first arrogant genius I've come across.

 

[Goatllama]

Sorry if I was unclear. I don't see myself jumping ship. in fact a watch is on my Xmas list. I'm just questioning if perhaps things are changing for the worse. No I have not tried restore. I will tonight.

No need to apologize, and I didn't think you were jumping ship, but I'm just saying. I know one bad experience can sour things a lot, but if evidence points to this being an out-of-ordinary incident it should not cause you to question your belief. Hopefully it's just a software issue and the Genius is wrong. Sounds like there's a good chance of that being the case if he was just trying to get you out of there and didn't take the time to actually look much at the device.

 

[ajinaz]

Well, I live in the West Valley so Arrowhead is the store I go to. There's only one other and that's the Biltmore area.

Don't know why they are so busy there lately, but it was packed the Sunday I went in. You have to have an appointment now. Walk-ins just aren't served.

However, I've been there quite a few times and this is the first arrogant genius I've come across.

West side also. This is the only store I have gone to and it's usually fine.

 

[maxsix]

Our family has all had iPhones since 2008. Since then we have bought strictly Apple products. Ipads, Macbooks, IMacs and daughter just purchased an Apple Watch. Over the years we have had cause to deal with customer service (phone and Genius Bar) and they were always awesome. I can honestly say that every interaction ended with me feeling they were the "Gold Standard". My latest interaction has seriously made me question this belief.

My wife has a 6 plus that was purchased last October. She pretty much babies her phone and has never dropped it or had it out of her Ballistic case. Anyway, the other day the screen started acting odd. Little lines would flicker at the top of the screen and the screen would become unresponsive. After a while it would start working again. I made an appointment at the Genius bar for two days out. When we got there we were told that they were way behind and for us to come back in 45 minutes before they could check us in. We came back in 45 minutes and checked in and they told us it would still be another 30 minutes. I've never experienced this kind of wait with an appointment before but maybe I've always been lucky?

When we finally get waited on the guy says, "whats going on?" My wife says, "I've been getting these lines..." The guy cuts her off off and says, "I already know whats wrong I see this problem every day. You need a replacement phone."

The phone is out of warranty so he said it would be $329. In a normal situation I would have said that sucks for me and got the replacement. However, I got really hung up on him saying, "I see it every day." so we left. I know I could have purchased Apple Care but in my mind it would still cost me over $200 in the long run.

Is this a known issue like the camera issue or was the guy just talking to talk?

Am I being unrealistic to think that one year life on an expensive phone is unacceptable? We still have friends using our old 4's with no issue. I just feel that Apple in the "old days" would deal differently with a known issue.

Yes indeed the Apple diagnostic / repair experience is not what it once was.

Today's Apple is a hit or miss operation that seems to be inconsistent and unpredictable due to a number of factors. I've witnessed and directly experienced what you are reporting when standing in line for well over an hour waiting my turn after checking in, even though i had an appointment.

Currently my fresh new 2015 15" MacBook Pro has been sent back to the repair depot for the _second_ time in as many weeks. That's after spending countless hours spanning several phone calls, and following their suggestions all to no avail, it's now being dealt with at the store level, which I fully understand. But to have it worked on, but not fixed is a costly mistake for myself and the store.

Depending on the Genius that one is assigned, the experience may be fast and easy, or it can be long and arduous. Due to Apple's piles of cash, there are times they just give out new devices, but then again in other cases you can be left in a lurch. Expected to pay for the solution yourself. It's a bit like gambling.

The Apple service / repair / warranty experience circa 2015 is a far cry from the consistently stellar experience of a decade ago.

 

[eyoungren]

West side also. This is the only store I have gone to and it's usually fine.

Probably just one incident then. Try a different time and go back. If you get the same response then I'd have to say this would then not be an isolated incident - at least at this store.

 

[ajinaz]

No need to apologize, and I didn't think you were jumping ship, but I'm just saying. I know one bad experience can sour things a lot, but if evidence points to this being an out-of-ordinary incident it should not cause you to question your belief. Hopefully it's just a software issue and the Genius is wrong. Sounds like there's a good chance of that being the case if he was just trying to get you out of there and didn't take the time to actually look much at the device.

He never touched it until he checked the number to see if it was out of warranty.

 

[Goatllama]

He never touched it until he checked the number to see if it was out of warranty.

Lovely.

 

[Newtons Apple]

US Arizona

LOL! I have never had that kind of experience at an Apple store. They have always been prompt and never disappointment. Sorry for your poor experience.

 

[dk001]

Have a few Apple stores withing my area and you get a mix from the very helpful to the arrogant I'm an iDevice god and don't tell me I'm wrong. I have walked into the one closest to me and there is one "Genius" (loose term) I will flat out tell them not to send to me.
It's a mix

 

[Laserducky]

Yes indeed the Apple diagnostic / repair experience is not what it once was.

Today's Apple is a hit or miss operation that seems to be inconsistent and unpredictable due to a number of factors. I've witnessed and directly experienced what you are reporting when standing in line for well over an hour waiting my turn after checking in, even though i had an appointment.

Currently my fresh new 2015 15" MacBook Pro has been sent back to the repair depot for the _second_ time in as many weeks. That's after spending countless hours spanning several phone calls, and following their suggestions all to no avail, it's now being dealt with at the store level, which I fully understand. But to have it worked on, but not fixed is a costly mistake for myself and the store.

Depending on the Genius that one is assigned, the experience may be fast and easy, or it can be long and arduous. Due to Apple's piles of cash, there are times they just give out new devices, but then again in other cases you can be left in a lurch. Expected to pay for the solution yourself. It's a bit like gambling.

The Apple service / repair / warranty experience circa 2015 is a far cry from the consistently stellar experience of a decade ago.

My 30 day old Macbook Pro Retina 2015 started having slow boots, screen freezes, apps hanging, not waking up from sleep etc . Did a one hour session over phone and chat and did the usual clean, reinstall etc. No joy. Asked to book appointment with Genius (got one after 5 days.)

Genius says need to repair machine. I told him very nicely that I disagree that a $2400 laptop needs 'repairing' after 30 days and that this is unacceptable. Asked me to wait 5 mins and I walked out with a brand new one sealed one.

Generally in life, if you don't ask for something, you won't get it.

Cheers !

 

[CNeufeld]

So you knew the phone had a one year warranty on it when you bought it. You had the option of getting an extended warranty at that time, if it wasn't enough for you. But now, it's no longer good enough?

If it was a wide-spread problem, Apple would likely have done a fix like they've done for other issues, like the batteries of iPhone 5's, or like the other issues on this page:
https://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair/

I suspect your "Genius" was speaking out of his a**, and it isn't nearly as widespread as he might have lead you to believe. There hasn't been an uprising in MR, in any case.

BTW, did you check to see if it might be covered under a credit card purchase warranty that extends a manufacturer's warranty? You could also go back, see if you get someone sympathetic to you (use the "it was just off warranty last month", or use the previous Genius's words against them "It's a common problem, so shouldn't it be covered?").

Over all, I think Apple is still much more customer friendly than many other manufacturers, tech or otherwise. Look at the threads of people taking back their phones for insignificant issues, like the wrong chip or a slight grey spot on the displays...

C

 

[ajinaz]

So you knew the phone had a one year warranty on it when you bought it. You had the option of getting an extended warranty at that time, if it wasn't enough for you. But now, it's no longer good enough?

If it was a wide-spread problem, Apple would likely have done a fix like they've done for other issues, like the batteries of iPhone 5's, or like the other issues on this page:
https://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair/

I suspect your "Genius" was speaking out of his a**, and it isn't nearly as widespread as he might have lead you to believe. There hasn't been an uprising in MR, in any case.

BTW, did you check to see if it might be covered under a credit card purchase warranty that extends a manufacturer's warranty? You could also go back, see if you get someone sympathetic to you (use the "it was just off warranty last month", or use the previous Genius's words against them "It's a common problem, so shouldn't it be covered?").

Over all, I think Apple is still much more customer friendly than many other manufacturers, tech or otherwise. Look at the threads of people taking back their phones for insignificant issues, like the wrong chip or a slight grey spot on the displays...

C

Actually I know I will likely be paying the $329. I don't in any way regret not buying Apple Care. I have it on my phone because I am rough on it. I have never had to replace anything on any of our 6 phones except the screens. I had a misguided belief that these phones are well made and short of abuse will last to my every two years upgrade.

After reading your post it did occur to me to search the problem and lo and behold there are quite a few folks with the same issue. https://www.google.com/search?q=iphone+plus+lines+top+of+screen&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
The difference is that for the most part their phones were swapped out since they were under 12 months.

The lack of complaints here doesn't really indicate anything. Back in December last year my 6 plus camera started to have issues focusing. I googled it and found several posts from others with the same issue. I went to the store and told them that it appeared to be a known issue as other people like me (motorcycle/bike/quad riders) were having the same issue and posting in forums about it. Everyone in repairs in back said that they never heard of this issue. They replaced my phone and I went on my way.

It took until August I believe for them to realize that there was a problem with the newer phones and they created a replacement policy. My point is, I'm now going to guess that eventually they will realize that this is a problem. Obviously I won't be waiting for that.

EDIT: Thanks for the credit card idea. It appears that I did buy these phones with a card that doubles the warranty. It says I have to submit a claim with an itemized repair estimate. Can I get that from the Apple store?

 

[CNeufeld]

Actually I know I will likely be paying the $329. I don't in any way regret not buying Apple Care. I have it on my phone because I am rough on it. I have never had to replace anything on any of our 6 phones except the screens. I had a misguided belief that these phones are well made and short of abuse will last to my every two years upgrade.

After reading your post it did occur to me to search the problem and lo and behold there are quite a few folks with the same issue. https://www.google.com/search?q=iphone+plus+lines+top+of+screen&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
The difference is that for the most part their phones were swapped out since they were under 12 months.

The lack of complaints here doesn't really indicate anything. Back in December last year my 6 plus camera started to have issues focusing. I googled it and found several posts from others with the same issue. I went to the store and told them that it appeared to be a known issue as other people like me (motorcycle/bike/quad riders) were having the same issue and posting in forums about it. Everyone in repairs in back said that they never heard of this issue. They replaced my phone and I went on my way.

It took until August I believe for them to realize that there was a problem with the newer phones and they created a replacement policy. My point is, I'm now going to guess that eventually they will realize that this is a problem. Obviously I won't be waiting for that.

If you pay the out of warranty replacement, make sure you hold onto your receipt, and try to get something in writing about why it was replaced. That way, if there IS a recall later (like the battery replacement and other issues), you might have a chance of getting the fee back.

For that matter, take in a printout of your search results, and ask to speak to a manager if they won't replace it for free. Stay calm and reasonable, but go with the idea that a) it's a reasonably common problem, and b) your phone is only one month out of warranty. Maybe you can get a free replacement, maybe you can get it for the cost of a screen replacement, maybe you pay full price. But it might pay off. As someone else said, if you don't ask for it, you won't get it.

C

 

[maxsix]

My 30 day old Macbook Pro Retina 2015 started having slow boots, screen freezes, apps hanging, not waking up from sleep etc . Did a one hour session over phone and chat and did the usual clean, reinstall etc. No joy. Asked to book appointment with Genius (got one after 5 days.)

Genius says need to repair machine. I told him very nicely that I disagree that a $2400 laptop needs 'repairing' after 30 days and that this is unacceptable. Asked me to wait 5 mins and I walked out with a brand new one sealed one.

Generally in life, if you don't ask for something, you won't get it.

Cheers !

That's what I meant, Apple today is dodgy when it comes to in-store customer satisfaction.

I've already escalated it to Cupertino, I've never had a problem being assertive

 

[QCassidy352]

A lot of times, they will waive the fee if you are both nice and persistent. If not, maybe the credit card warranty will work! In any case, just sounds like one bad experience, which is bound to happen sometimes with a giant company like Apple. Hope it works out for you!

 

[cynics]

On the equipment I work on I see the same problems quite often, I would describe them as "everyday" occurrences. However in the grand scheme of things the problems are very rare. It's just since my job is fixing those problems I have a high exposure to them. I'm not your average customer.....

Point of that is the Apple Geniuses are the same, people responsible for fixing and replacing Apple products see the broken ones all day. They might just refer to something we find extremely rare as something they see everyday.

Just a thought. On a side note I find that more refreshing then the typical "oh we never ever even heard of that happening!" bs.....