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For those considering the Iphone! (broken Iphone story)

S

s0upb0ne

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 19, 2007
40
0
I have had my iphone for about a month was pretty happy with it. I was even ambivalent about the price cut.

Today I connected the phone to the charger and it became very hot and shut off (I immediately disconnected it)
The phone continued to heat up and immediately the screen went black (and no this phone is not unlocked and not hacked).

I waited I a couple of hours for the phone to cool off and phone still would not turn back on.

After being turned away from the ATT store (I was told immediately "go to the APPLE store), I immediately headed midtown NYC.

I then went to the Apple store(Fifth Avenue) and was told there would be nothing that could be done for me today and set up and an appt for the ipod/iphone bar TOMMORROW. Also every odd, the conceriges are usually pretty nice, but this was person very short and rude. I was also told there is no loaner program and no option to rent a phone.

I understand all technology can fail and I am comfortable with that. The service issue is the one that I have a problem.

I am writing this to as warning to those comtemplating buying this phone and depending on this phone more than casually. AT&T and Apple were very flippant with my concern of not having a cellphone. AT&T didnt even want to entertain my concerns. I am a physician and although I depend on my pager more(and a landline)...away from the hospital the cellphone is improtant.

This is my experience and I know it is anecdotal, but I think people need to understand what exactly they are buying. I go into this purchase thinking I was buying a blackberry, but I thought this was more than a toy.

Even when I was with Sprint, they would at least 'act' concerned and had loaners.
 
Sorry to hear that.

On the other hand every apple genius has been kind to me so your story in anecdotal and MAY be an offshoot from the past week of people bringing in their hacked (and bricked phones) and taking it out on the geniuses for all we know.

Every device will and can have less then stellar service at various times.

And there seems to be a loaner program but I have not used it. Maybe it is only for applecare direct calls where they send you the loaner in the box you are supposed to send yours back in.


To warn people away from the iphone simply because the Genius you spoke with was rude is just plain silly IMO.

but I thought this was more than a toy
Click to expand...

P.S. Trollish comments will not help your cause.
 
I'm sorry this happened to you, but it does sound like a convergence of bad happenstance more than anything else. Also, and no offense to the OP, but often times we only get one side of these stories, meaning perhaps you were rude to the employee (maybe not on purpose - maybe you were frustrated that your phone died and didn't realize if you were pushing a little too hard).

I think people tend to overreact to one bad CS experience. I'll always give a company the benefit of the doubt to do right by me before assuming they're awful and warning the world away from them.
 
Amblinman said:
I'm sorry this happened to you, but it does sound like a convergence of bad happenstance more than anything else. Also, and no offense to the OP, but often times we only get one side of these stories, meaning perhaps you were rude to the employee (maybe not on purpose - maybe you were frustrated that your phone died and didn't realize if you were pushing a little too hard).

I think people tend to overreact to one bad CS experience. I'll always give a company the benefit of the doubt to do right by me before assuming they're awful and warning the world away from them.
Click to expand...


We will see tommorrow (I will post). I basically work in a CS business myself and I am very sensitive on how I deal with people in the service industry. The 'energy' from begining of the interaction was very antagonistic.

I am warning people about the acuity of the support for the phone. For alot of people, TOMMORROW is just not acceptable to start the process of discussing what is wrong with their phone. I got the distinct impression that this is norm from both interactions.
 
I don't think you can reasonably expect someone to be able to check your phone today if you walk into an Apple store without an appointment. The techs are usually booked already for most of the day.

They definitely have a loaner program, and I'd insist on it.

According to Apple.com:

If I need to have my iPhone repaired, will I be able to borrow an iPhone to use?
Apple can provide an AppleCare Service Phone for you to use with all of your data while your iPhone is being repaired. The service fee for the AppleCare Service phone is $29. For more details please review the iPhone Rental Terms And Conditions.

and

How long will my iPhone service take?
The repair process normally takes three business days.

Good luck.
 
I think every problem will be different I think most people have to remember that Apple isn't like a Verizon or Sprint store that you walk into with your broken cell phone and except to have it fixed or swapped out the same day unless the Apple Genius Bar has some extra time, I haven't used the Genius Bar myself however I do know that you have to make an appt. with an Apple Genius to get assistance, at least thats the way it works in my city.
 
My Phone died today as well. I decided not to take the trek to the Apple store, and would never think of going to AT&T, so I called Apple support (800-MY-iPhone) and spoke with a rep. They are sending me a phone to use while its being repaired, they said that they are available at the retail stores as well, as long as they haven't run out, which may have been the case with you. Maybe the rep you spoke with didn't state this properly (not try to make an excuse, they should have tried harder to make you reasonably happy)?

Anyway will take 24 to 48 hours to get here depending on when you call, then take a few more days when they get it. Luckily I have a back up phone, a $15 phone I bought from Walmart (Go Phone, just didn't activate it, just switched sims and all is well, at least with making and receiving calls). Added only a couple needed phone numbers and off I am till I get the loaner and get my precious back. :cool:

Anyways hopefully your experience will improve tomorrow.
 
Geffen said:
I think every problem will be different I think most people have to remember that Apple isn't like a Verizon or Sprint store that you walk into with your broken cell phone and except to have it fixed or swapped out the same day unless the Apple Genius Bar has some extra time, I haven't used the Genius Bar myself however I do know that you have to make an appt. with an Apple Genius to get assistance, at least thats the way it works in my city.
Click to expand...

I've never had to make an appt with them, at least not in the past, unless they are really busy, which I have never witnessed.
 
Good people on this board...

I called Applecare as the one the posters reccommended and they were extremely helpful (FYI..I certain number of iphones at the Apple store in stock are marked for straight tradeouts..and iTunes does a complete encrypted backup of EVERYTHING on the iPhone..including contacts when you dock it ..according to the product specialist).

I was told YES they do have a loaner program and told me that it should have been explained to me.

I guess what upset me is what another poster hit on the head. I was expecting a certain level of concern when dealing with my cellphone service (Sprint may have been slow at times ..but I never had a probelm with walkup service)
 
You might want to consider the following work around:

Purchase a pay-as-you-go phone from AT&T or any vendor that has product that works on AT&T's network. You will need at least support for 850 and 1900 MHz. A generic phone kiosk in a mall or major dept store might be a good choice.

Remove the SIM chip in the pay-as-you-go phone and replace it with the iPhone SIM.

You're out of pocket a few dollars but at least will have a backup while you're waiting on a fix or a proper loaner iPhone.
 
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