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How to do an iphone exchange at apple store

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Xplic1T

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 13, 2008
12
0
Hey guys,

So here's the deal, im buying a broken 16 gig 3g off craigslist and trying a) either fix it or b) try to exchange it at the apple store.

I've read in multiple places that the apple store will replace your broken iphone but im guessing that you have to be under warrenty unless your subject to fees.

Can anybody confirm this, because it seems too good to be true.

Thanks.
 
Xplic1T said:
Hey guys,

So here's the deal, im buying a broken 16 gig 3g off craigslist and trying a) either fix it or b) try to exchange it at the apple store.

I've read in multiple places that the apple store will replace your broken iphone but im guessing that you have to be under warrenty unless your subject to fees.

Can anybody confirm this, because it seems too good to be true.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Broken as in a mysterious dead device that one day didn't turn on or broken as in ran over by a car then threw into a lake?
 
"Hello Genius Person,

I went to sleep last night and the thing wont boot up, my wife had it for about 4 months and doesn't know why it just wont boot all of a sudden. We charge it on our ihome but i dont think that had anything to do with it"

"Alright let me check for water damage .... None"

"Okay ...."

Thats how im hoping it will go.
 
Xplic1T said:
"Hello Genius Person,

I went to sleep last night and the thing wont boot up, my wife had it for about 4 months and doesn't know why it just wont boot all of a sudden. We charge it on our ihome but i dont think that had anything to do with it"

"Alright let me check for water damage .... None"

"Okay ...."

Thats how im hoping it will go.
Click to expand...

Ok ....


So, just take it in man. Sheesh.
 
The problem is i dont know if there is any "water damage"

he said his friend spilled some water on it and it broke, so i guess i have to see if the sensor changed color.
 
Xplic1T said:
"Hello Genius Person,

I went to sleep last night and the thing wont boot up, my wife had it for about 4 months and doesn't know why it just wont boot all of a sudden. We charge it on our ihome but i dont think that had anything to do with it"

"Alright let me check for water damage .... None"

"Okay ...."

Thats how im hoping it will go.
Click to expand...
Ummm, no.

Why should Apple give you a brand new iPhone, when you've paid for a broken one?

That's practically stealing. If the phone is under warranty, it will show up as being registered to your seller - so they won't be giving it straight back to you. You could have just stolen it and are trying to get it replaced before the user blacklists it.

They're not stupid - thankfully.

If you can somehow prove the phone belongs to you, and there is a genuine MANUFACTURING fault with it - meaning in the process of making it, something has grone wrong - and the phone doesn't have physical damage which is likely to have caused the damage, and the water sensors are in place, they will either exchange it, or send it away for repair.

Don't just buy a broken iPhone to get it exchanged and have a brand new shiny iPhone.

No wonder Apple products cost more when people like you are trying to rob the company.

Either buy a working one, or don't get one. Don't make us pay for your mistakes.
 
Xplic1T said:
Thats how im hoping it will go.
Click to expand...
If there's no water/physical damage, and it's still under warranty, and you have an active AT&T account w/ an iPhone plan (most Geniuses will check for that, some will let that slide), you're probably fine.

Xplic1T said:
The problem is i dont know if there is any "water damage"

he said his friend spilled some water on it and it broke, so i guess i have to see if the sensor changed color.
Click to expand...
Shine a flashlight down the earphone jack and see if you see something white or red at the very bottom. There's also a sensor around the 30-pin dock area.

If either sensors are red, then they consider the phone to be water damaged (and beyond economical repair) and will not service it, even for a fee.
 
aristobrat said:
If either sensors are red, then they consider the phone to be water damaged (and beyond economical repair) and will not service it, even for a fee.
Click to expand...

Wait, my sensor in the dock connector area is red ... but I've NEVER spilled water on it or dropped it in water or anything.

What could this mean?
 
The General said:
Wait, my sensor in the dock connector area is red ... but I've NEVER spilled water on it or dropped it in water or anything.

What could this mean?
Click to expand...

I'm sure there was a thread on this the other day.

Give MRoogle a search, hopefully someone answered there. Do you go running and sweat a lot? :confused:
 
Either way it has to be under warrenty which they can check but if it doesn't turn on and its not really my phone but my wives phone how will they even know its active on AT&T?
 
Xplic1T said:
The problem is i dont know if there is any "water damage"

he said his friend spilled some water on it and it broke, so i guess i have to see if the sensor changed color.
Click to expand...

If there's water damage they WON'T exchange it.
 
Xplic1T said:
Hey guys,

So here's the deal, im buying a broken 16 gig 3g off craigslist and trying a) either fix it or b) try to exchange it at the apple store.

I've read in multiple places that the apple store will replace your broken iphone but im guessing that you have to be under warrenty unless your subject to fees.

Can anybody confirm this, because it seems too good to be true.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
First you need to know if you can get a refurbished iPhone 3G:
1. Water / liquid sensor locations iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPod touch, iPod nan and Ipod classic: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3302
2. To confirm that it was ever activated to start the warranty, Warranty Status: https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do

Are you a current AT&T customer?

Dave
 
Xplic1T said:
Either way it has to be under warrenty which they can check but if it doesn't turn on and its not really my phone but my wives phone how will they even know its active on AT&T?
Click to expand...
Before you go in, you can check to see if it's under warranty warranty (over at https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do).

You can also to check to see if the water damage indicators have turned red.

They can tell if its active on AT&T by beginning typically beginning the conversation with you by asking for the iPhone's AT&T telephone number and verifying that the iPhone data plan is active. At the store near me, if you try to go down the route that "I just bought it used and it won't boot up so I can't activate it myself", they'll almost always send you to the AT&T store in the mall to have you add the iPhone plan to your account. If you show them proof of that, they'll continue.

Also remember to online schedule a (free) appt at the Genius Bar before you try to go. If you just walk in, if they're busy (and most bars are), you may end up with a standby appt, which can take hours to be seen if one of the schedule appts doesn't no-show.
 
Xplic1T said:
Either way it has to be under warrenty which they can check but if it doesn't turn on and its not really my phone but my wives phone how will they even know its active on AT&T?
Click to expand...
If it was never activated, then no warranty. If it is not a US iPhone 3G, then no warranty. The Apple Genius tech may ask for your phone number (yes for the phone that you are trying to get warranty serviced). :eek:

Best case if all else fails and the phone is physically intact but the warranty is void, you may be able to get an Out of Warranty Replacement for an additional $299.

Dave
 
Xplic1T said:
So there needs to be proof that shes on at&t w/ the data plan
Click to expand...
There's always a chance you'll get a Genius that doesn't care, but most of them follow the procedures which do involve checking for that.

But first things first. Check the water sensors. If either of them are red (which is likely, if someone spilled water on the device), then there's no point in even worrying about the data plan, because even if you had one, Apple doesn't service water-damaged iPhones.
 
alright so lets say there isn't water damage but its not under warrenty ...

people seem to be leaving this one out
 
dave006 said:
Are you a current AT&T customer?

Dave
Click to expand...

No. He's buying a strangers iPhone and lying and saying its his wife's because he wants a new one.

Xplic1T said:
"My wife is"
Click to expand...

So, they'll tell your wife to go in and prove she's the account holder.

Do you think Apple are this stupid?

Why should they give you a new phone. Bloody buy a new one like everyone else and stop trying to cheat the system.

aristobrat said:
There's always a chance you'll get a Genius that doesn't care, but most of them follow the procedures which do involve checking for that.
Click to expand...

Why are you encouraging this person to defraud the system?
 
Xplic1T said:
alright so lets say there isn't water damage but its not under warrenty ...

people seem to be leaving this one out
Click to expand...

Why don't you just go to the Apple Store?

Bang - the REAL answer, just like that.

No matter what we say, you'll EVENTUALLY have to go in anyway. :rolleyes:
 
cellocello said:
Why don't you just go to the Apple Store?

Bang - the REAL answer, just like that.

No matter what we say, you'll EVENTUALLY have to go in anyway. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Because he's not the owner of the iPhone

He's not an AT&T customer

He wants to get his facts straights to he can fathom together some fake story to get the phone exchanged, go home, and unlock it - all for the price of a broken iPhone.
 
cellocello said:
Why don't you just go to the Apple Store?

Bang - the REAL answer, just like that.

No matter what we say, you'll EVENTUALLY have to go in anyway. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Because he wants to know the many ways he'll be made a fool in public by Apple by trying to exchange the phone.
 
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