iPhone 5 - black version scuffs (merged)

[Pagemakers]

I was the topic starter of this thread and I am astonished that its not on its 132nd page!!

I ordered 2 phones. On for me and one for my business partner. One in white and one in black.

A second white one should be delivered tomorrow to replce the black one which is being returned to Apple on Friday.

I am not prepared to put a case on my phone but even with absolutely meticulous handling the black one is showing the odd silver mark. Who knows what this will look like in 6 months. It even ha signs of wear out of the box.

While I agree general wear an tear is inevitable in my opinion the black one is just too susceptible to damage.

Only time will tell.

Good luck with your phones guys whatever colour you end up with.

 

[bob24]

I was the topic starter of this thread and I am astonished that its not on its 132nd page!!

I ordered 2 phones. On for me and one for my business partner. One in white and one in black.

A second white one should be delivered tomorrow to replce the black one which is being returned to Apple on Friday.

I am not prepared to put a case on my phone but even with absolutely meticulous handling the black one is showing the odd silver mark. Who knows what this will look like in 6 months. It even ha signs of wear out of the box.

While I agree general wear an tear is inevitable in my opinion the black one is just too susceptible to damage.

Only time will tell.

Good luck with your phones guys whatever colour you end up with.

Good summary of the situation after 132 pages!

 

[Infinitieva]

I think Apple really needs to come out with an official statement about this issue, and really address the damage that is present right out of the box.

Also on a side note, I have some Cuisinart Al anodized cookware, I've used it for about 15 years, I also routinely use metal utensils such as spatulas and wire whisks on my cookware and my cookware looks just as new as the day I received it. (I know I'm supposed to use plastic and wood, don't tell me!) My point is obvious, properly anodizing Al creates an extremely hard/durable surface that's not even remotely easily scratched. At this point Apple really needs to go back and do it correctly, after all they are not creating any new chemical processes, the clowns that make your pots and pans from Target have been doing it for 50 years....

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

As far as I know, having only researched this topic over the past few days, cookware is the type III hard anodisation that I mentioned a few pages back.

This will definitely be more expensive, but Apple are making huge profits on each individual iPhone 5, so I'm sure they could afford it if they wanted to live up to their marketing claims of this being the absolute best handset out there.

 

[cpptnow]

I think Apple really needs to come out with an official statement about this issue, and really address the damage that is present right out of the box.

Also on a side note, I have some Cuisinart Al anodized cookware, I've used it for about 15 years, I also routinely use metal utensils such as spatulas and wire whisks on my cookware and my cookware looks just as new as the day I received it. (I know I'm supposed to use plastic and wood, don't tell me!) My point is obvious, properly anodizing Al creates an extremely hard/durable surface that's not even remotely easily scratched. At this point Apple really needs to go back and do it correctly, after all they are not creating any new chemical processes, the clowns that make your pots and pans from Target have been doing it for 50 years....

Guys you're only about 1600 users there in more of 5 million iPhone sold.. it's a ridiculous percentage...

 

[Pagemakers]

The same could be said for the iPhone's 4 signal issue. It was a ridiculous percentage but apple listened!!!

Just because somebody is not a nerd like us writing on these forums does not mean other users a not having the same problems.

 

[dasx]

This thread seems to have less and less posts per hour every day. This somehow looks promising to me. Maybe it's just me who wants to see it promising though.

The same could be said for the iPhone's 4 signal issue. It was a ridiculous percentage but apple listened!!!

Difference is every single iPhone 4 was affected. I don't consider both defects to be the same case.

 

[notreimer]

Guys you're only about 1600 users there in more of 5 million iPhone sold.. it's a ridiculous percentage...

So all the other 5 million iPhones were flawless coming out of the box just because these other users, who probably don't know the existence of MacRumors, aren't complaining about or noticed this defect?

 

[striker33]

People experiencing wear and tear after little use have defective phones. Mine is still in pristine condition (aside from the out of box damage), and has took loads of abuse since I received it friday.

My replacement will be arriving today, so hopefully it will have no damage and be just as durable.

I give it a week before those who switched from black to white have something else to cry about, most likely about how ugly the thing is.

----------

Also, has anyone noticed the wifi signal dropping when holding the phone in your palm? Seems to be Antennagate 2.0 for me.

 

[iproductsuser]

I was the topic starter of this thread and I am astonished that its not on its 132nd page!!

I ordered 2 phones. On for me and one for my business partner. One in white and one in black.

A second white one should be delivered tomorrow to replce the black one which is being returned to Apple on Friday.

I am not prepared to put a case on my phone but even with absolutely meticulous handling the black one is showing the odd silver mark. Who knows what this will look like in 6 months. It even ha signs of wear out of the box.

While I agree general wear an tear is inevitable in my opinion the black one is just too susceptible to damage.

Only time will tell.

Good luck with your phones guys whatever colour you end up with.

Apple allowed you do get a replacement but in white instead of the black you originally ordered? I've been trying to do this and it's like pulling teeth to get them to allow a color swap.

 

[cpptnow]

The same could be said for the iPhone's 4 signal issue. It was a ridiculous percentage but apple listened!!!

Just because somebody is not a nerd like us writing on these forums does not mean other users a not having the same problems.

yes that's right, but in that case many other forum end other site reporting the issue...

 

[enophi1]

Apple allowed you do get a replacement but in white instead of the black you originally ordered? I've been trying to do this and it's like pulling teeth to get them to allow a color swap.

They allowed me to change colour too. Just ordered a black replacement model, I originally purchased the White model , but want to be able to choose which one I want.

When you call Apple, make sure you talk to the "After Sales" team.

The number in the UK I was given is: 0845 600 1683

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

Guys you're only about 1600 users there in more of 5 million iPhone sold.. it's a ridiculous percentage...

I've seen this argument posted time & time again on this thread and it's not very strong at all.

By that reckoning, all mass market surveys are inaccurate as there is no way people/companies could possibly capture the opinion of everyone

 

[Pagemakers]

I called apple and said my phone had marks on it. Swapping to white was not a problem at all.

Maybe they a getting fed up of the calls now though. Strange that!!!

 

[cpptnow]

I've seen this argument posted time & time again on this thread and it's not very strong at all.

By that reckoning, all mass market surveys are inaccurate as there is no way people/companies could possibly capture the opinion of everyone

Yes, no way to capture the opinion of everyone but 1600 (or 2000 or 3000 or 12000) in 5million+ iphone it's really insignificant...

 

[viewfly]

I wonder when this will end. I think it was a batch if bad anodization. When will pass through the system completely ?

 

[Igantius]

For what it’s worth, I have several friends who manage UK mobile phone shops (one of these is one of the busiest for the company in the UK), all say that they’re seeing a very low return rate for the iPhone 5 and none of the returns (so far) have been through scruffing or any other cosmetic damage.

When I’ve talked to them about this, they were surprised to hear that people have been reporting problems – particularly, as they’re of the opinion that it’s the sort of thing punters do complain about. They love busting my chops about when Apple problems are talked about, so no doubt hope the situation changes.

 

[dasx]

Did a quick search on youtube looking for iPhone 5 HD unboxings. It's pretty common seeing phones which are scuffed outta box whose owners don't even notice. Even those who make actual reviews of the phone.

My point being the percentage of faulty phones might be higher than we might think.

 

[iproductsuser]

They allowed me to change colour too. Just ordered a black replacement model, I originally purchased the White model , but want to be able to choose which one I want.

When you call Apple, make sure you talk to the "After Sales" team.

The number in the UK I was given is: 0845 600 1683

I called apple and said my phone had marks on it. Swapping to white was not a problem at all.

Maybe they a getting fed up of the calls now though. Strange that!!!

I wish I had the direct phone number for the US after sales team. I literally have spent 3+ hours over the past 2 days talking to countless representatives that were absolutely boggled at the fact that I wanted to change colors and acted like I was asking them to swap my iPhone 5 for a galaxy S3 or something.

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

Yes, no way to capture the opinion of everyone but 1600 (or 2000 or 3000 or 12000) in 5million+ iphone it's really insignificant...

You might think so, but if you take a look at the majority of surveys which are used and reported as fact you'll find, perhaps surprisingly, that they have the same number of respondents or less.

I see loads of press & television advertisements in the UK (and globally) for shampoo or whatever that claim that 87% of people agree blah, blah, blah and it's out of 110 responses.

1500+ is a reasonable number in context.

I should add, it's amazing how quickly a pattern forms in most surveys. I've been watching this poll since not long after it was posted and despite the numbers increasing, it has been consistently around 36% damaged out of the box and 10% damaged shortly thereafter.

 

[enophi1]

I wish I had the direct phone number for the US after sales team. I literally have spent 3+ hours over the past 2 days talking to countless representatives that were absolutely boggled at the fact that I wanted to change colors and acted like I was asking them to swap my iPhone 5 for a galaxy S3 or something.

When you get through to Customer Sales (choose that option) ask to be sent to "After Sales" they should send you right through. After sales are always the ones to talk to , they have always been very helpful and accommodating.

I find being polite and (having a laugh) with the Sales Employee will earn you a good outcome. The more polite, apologetic, and funny you are on the phone, the more they feel like helping you. (Customer service sucks, believe me , I've worked in that dept long enough, and you don't want to help *******s)

I've looked for the "After sales" apple contact number for the USA but can't find a specific one (They really should do one for the US too)

You can organize a return from your Apple account but you cannot change the colour (not to my knowledge) so it's best to phone and ask for After Sales.

 

[iproductsuser]

Thanks for the response. I see a pending return on my apple account now so it appears something is actually happening after 2 days on the phone.

 

[enophi1]

Thanks for the response. I see a pending return on my apple account now so it appears something is actually happening after 2 days on the phone.

That's great!

Mine has been sitting still since I phoned on Monday (Received 2 emails which I was told to ignore) and then today I got this.

Following your request, we have created a replacement for your order. You will receive an Order Confirmation email with details of the replacement order shortly. Once your replacement order has dispatched, you will also receive a Shipping Notification email followed by an invoice

 

[mpny]

Before I received my phone I thought everyone might be worrying too much, especially about potential wear and tear. I am the type of person who thinks an iPhone is best used well for 2 years with no cover - why obsess over keeping a phone perfect when you get a perfect new one every two years like clockwork?

But I pulled mine out of the box and sure enough it has a nick on the side. It's just not right for a company that extensively brags about its manufacturing tolerances and perfection to ignore this issue as millions of phones ship. Apple's reaction or lack of is similar to their reaction after the image soak issue on the Macbook Pro Retina this summer, which I also ordered at launch. I have been using Apple products for 20 years and this year is the first time I felt the company was losing some of the things that made it special. There is no equal alternative today, but with the direction market dominance is taking Apple, I hope there will be someday.

 

[edk]

Yes, no way to capture the opinion of everyone but 1600 (or 2000 or 3000 or 12000) in 5million+ iphone it's really insignificant...

as someone who works in quality - it's not.

as an actual % figure reported to date, maybe. But the type of issue is the problem here. Looks to be a design flaw. This means that over time, more and more people will have phones scratching and chipping, equaling either returns to the Apple store - or at least, a perception that apple quality is not so great.

OK, the costs involved with both don't really have much impact on Apple's billions in the short term - but long term it may.

It's not a huge stretch to see that Apple might be over-reaching in their design choices, and over the next years, this might hurt them.



... that said, where's my iphone 5!!!