iPhone recall repair refused by "support"

My i5 serial number IS included in the Apple recall of BOTH the battery and the Power Button.

Apple "Genius" at the apple store tried a variety of different excuses to refuse to perform the recall repair but eventually said that since my phone has SCRATCHES….on the exterior of the metal body frame….they would not be able to send the phone in for repair. My only option was to upgrade my phone. This was only one of several ludicrous attempts to evade responsibility and make a remarkably simple repair. I even pointed out the problem of telling an increasingly unhappy customer that the only way to resolve a faulty product is to tell them to buy a newer product.

I left the store and contacted apple support online. After TWO HOURS AND SIXTEEN MINUTES of chatting with a rotating variety of support specialist and being mysteriously disconnected a few times….a "Senior adviser" (who has never seen me or the phone) declares that the "Genius" was correct and that the terms of the recall specifically state that ANY DAMAGE AT ALL to the phone will absolve Apple of responsibility for the repair.

I reiterated that the alleged "Damage" was a SCRATCH on the metal frame which in no way effected performance or reparability. The "Senior adviser" said that the policy says "any damage".

I argued that was like GM recalling a quarter million cars for a bad ignition switch but then saying that if there was any scratch in the paint, they didn’t have to fix the switch. The "Senior Adviser" said….that's the policy.

If ya think I’m making this stuff up, PM me and I will happily send you the chat transcript that I havent posted here because I dont want to be thought a "spammer. Here is a TINY excerpt to give you a hint of the sort of "support" being provided by Apple (the rest is even better) :

Mekie dokie....lets review for a second: lets use a recent example just to keep it "current". GM Recalls a quarter of a million cars due to faulty ignition switches. But in your scenario...if the cars paint is scratched....they dont have to resolve the problem with the ignition switch.

Me:do I have a good grasp on your logic?

Me:scratched body....absolves the battery AND the power button

AngeloI get where you are going with this Cole however damage would not be covered under the regular warranty of the device.

Me:goovy....I dont want the damage (scratches) repaired.

Me:I want the faulty battery and faulty switch repaired

AngeloI understand that, under the repair program, a damaged device can not be setup for repair without cost.

Whats the point of this rant? Apple continues its rapid decline in customer loyalty and business ethics. This sort of arrogance is understandable if you are the only player on the field (years ago) but is simply idiotic when there are increasing numbers of increasingly viable competitors on the same field. In fact...this arrogance is WHY there are so many viable competitors.

As I said MANY times in my various conversations with "support" and with the "Genius".....I have absolutely no issue with the phone problems. I know that (Stuff) happens and things dont go as they were planned....thus the recall. But I am LIVID over the pathetic "support" they are providing to resolve KNOWN ISSUES.

It would have taken less time, and thus less money, to actually perform the repair than it did to spend 136 minutes telling me that they wouldn't do it...because of SCRATCHES

 

Here is a photo of the scratch which Apple says disqualifies the phone from being covered by their BATTERY and POWER SWITCH recall.

 

I did all of that.
I ran the serial number.
I made the appointment.
I made it to the appointment on time.
I sat and waited for 45 minutes BEYOND my appointment time before a "Genius" had time to get to me.
The "Genius" then has difficulty getting the phone to fit into an Apple Charging dock. And says that they cannot run diagnostics on the phone if it wont fit in the dock. We debate that for quite a while. I point out that none of the other "Geniuses" are walking around with a charging doc. She then says: "Because they arent doing what Im doing, I wouldnt tell you we have to have a charging dock if we didnt actually have to have one. But I will be happy to upgrade you since you are eligible." I then point out that we have used iPhones since the very frist generation…this isnt our first time to the apple store…isnt our first time to need diagnostics…but it is the first time I have EVER seen a "Genius" carry one let alone demand that it be the ONLY way to run diagnostics.
Then she changes excuses and says: "Well, we have to remove the screen protector anyway." We argue about that for a few minutes. She says that they cannot replace the battery or the switch if it has a front or back invisible shield protector. BUt again she says that they will be happy to upgrade us since we are eligible. I ask her if she has youtube and has ever seen how the iphone is disassembled, and if so could she explain what possible relevancy the screen protector has to replacing….anything.
Then she changes excuses again and says: "well…we cannot send it in for the power button replacement because of this scratch, and points to the side of the body of the phone. No cracks. No dents. Just a SCRATCH. Then she says, but we will be happy to upgrade you since you are eligible.

Our interaction with the Store "Genius" took 7 minutes (after waiting 45 minutes past our appointment time). During that 7 minutes she told us 4 times that we needed to upgrade since we were eligible.

Oh…and to top it all off….the charging cradle being absolutely necessary to run diagnostics…
The very first thing apple chat support did was send me a text message with an embeded script. When I replied to the text message, it included my phone diagnostics and they verified that I needed a new battery and button. All without connecting it to a charging dock…or a lightning connector…or bluetooth…or wifi…or ANYTHING. They did it by magic.

I guess my "Genius" didnt attend the "quickeneing" on how to perform phone diagnostics. Or she just REALLY didnt want to have to hold the phone

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As my Original Post states....I spent 2 hours and 16 minutes dealing with Apple "Support" AFTER I left the store. I explained the situation very patiently and professionally and that accomplished nothing...also as I stated, I will be happy to send you the transcript of the session.

The photo I attached is the best angle for seeing the scratch. If there were better angles I would have sent them. I have no reason to try to diminish the nature of the scratch. The Store "Genius", and the Apple "Support" Senior Advisor both said that their policy says that they dont have to do anything if there is ANY damage.

 

Ive worked in phone centers. I've done public relations much of my life. I fully understand that if you're an *******....the person on the other side of the counter will do everything possible NOT to help you. And I understand that if you are nice, the person on the other side of the counter will bend almost any rule to find a way to help you.

Thus, I ALWAYS start out being nice. I start out being funny. I start out being understanding. But many people interpret pleasantry as being uncommitted or easily dissuaded; neither of which applies to me. And when those pleasant approaches prove to be ineffective, I have no choice but to change my approach in search of an approach that may be more effective. And whenever I get escallated to someone else...I ALWAYS start from scratch being nice...funny...pleasant.

Until it proves to be ineffective.

They wont help you if they dont want to. I know that.

If they truly want to help you , there is very little that they cannot do for you.

The trick is figuring out how to help them WANT to help you.

But once they draw the line in the sand...the dance stops and the fight starts.

 

I was unaware that a motive was a prerequisite for participating in a subject forum. I guess my hope had been to make other consumers aware of diminishing ethics from a company that tries to create the impression of being personable...ethical...and rational. Remember the commercials....all touchy feely. I guess we needed high-def to make out the the touchy-feely part requires a bit of Vaseline.

In fact....I think I specifically answered the "Whats the point of this post"....in my post.

Shocker.

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Thats what Im doing here.

 

The "genius" couldnt get the phone to fit in the dock. She said it was due to the fact that the phone has an invisible shield protector on the front and the back.

The phone isnt bent or twisted or warped or dented or discolored or stinky or furry or any other conceivable descriptor other than a Black i5 with a 3mm long scratch near the mute switch.

I put it on a dock every night...usually in the dark...no problems at all.

But, again, the point of the "Dock" aspect of the story is a Genius telling me that the Dock is required to perform diagnostics on a phone....then Apple Support running diagnostics via a TEXT message without having to connect ANYTHING...and taking less than a minute to figure out: Golly-Gee...you need a new battery and power button. To which you struggle with all of your might to avoid firing back with something unpleasant, and you merely say..."yeah I knew that two days ago. Thats what started this whole mess and thats why I am talking to you."

 

I actually appreciate your observation and I acknowledge the possibility if not even the probability that my patience runs thin. Which is why my wife (psychologist) has had a majority of the interaction and I only step in when her REMARKABLE pleasantry is ineffective and she gets so P-O'd that she cant restrain her more creative vocabulary (think Deb from "Dexter).

But...yes....I understand perception is reality and that I may not be perceived as nice as I am trying to convey. But I'm giving it all I've got, Cap'n.

 

What possible reason would I have to minimize....or inflate...ANYTHING. There is nothing to gain from anyone here. I dont want anything from yall.

I guess this has degenerated to the point in any forum thread where the replies wander hopeless off target and the question becomes if further participation has any meaning at all.

I said it isnt bent or deformed. Believe what you like.

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Again.....Im easily frustrated. The question was answered...before it was asked.

If the asker had taken their time to read the post that they were asking about...it wouldnt have been necessary to ask the question.

Im a cute, furry, adorable bunny, dammit! ( Smiley face - joking) Ever been bit by a bunny? Even adorable has an edge when pushed. And this subject has been pushing me for DAYS.

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Two calls from customer relations so far. The first one said, "If it has any damage we cant help you."

The second one said: "Oh....you are posting all of this in four different forums and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Could you send us a photo of the phone?"

A "genius" not wanting or knowing how to do their job is unfortunate, but understandable in the large scheme of things. Staffing issues happen. But I've now been through 7 people on 4 different theoretical levels of "Support" and they all seem to deffer back to the original "Genius" interpretation of the scratch being "Damage that prevents repair"

There are always weak links in any chain. But when the chain is made of weak links, I call it a noodle.
I just want them to use their noodle.

Im not looking for a free phone. I dont want anything other than the battery and the power button replaced....as per their recall. Seems pretty simple.