Is this the new Apple experience?

[cfs]

I’ve been on a long time MacRumors user and just need a space to vent.

I’ve been a user of Apple Products since the early 2000’s. I have always felt like I’ve been taken care of at Apple stores when I had a product problem as there was always a reasonable solution. This is one of the main reasons why I’ve stuck with Apple over the past 20 years. I always felt that while Apple products cost a bit more, they also offered a level of service that gave me a piece of mind.

My most recent experience however has put put a wrinkle in that reality.

Long story short, I own an Apple Watch 4. This past March the battery started to deplete quickly and it eventually stopped charging. Basically, my watch recognizes that it’s connected but the screen never goes beyond the icon that shows a small lightning symbol in the top corner with the lightning cord attached it.

I went to the Genius Bar at my local Apple store and they told me that since it doesn’t get past this, they can’t diagnose it and it would cost me $299 to fix. The person at the Genius Bar told me I should just buy a new watch. A bit stunned by the response, I decided to leave the store and text Apple when I had a moment.

Once I got around to texting Apple, the representative on the other side said the same thing as the store rep and that maybe I could be helped by a Senior Advisor.

Once on the phone with a senior advisor, I acknowledged my watch was out of warranty and mentioned I was not asking for a handout. I explained my thinking that paying $299 made little sense when all I want to do is to put a new battery to see if my watch will work. I mentioned that

given an out of warranty battery is $79 on the Apple webpage, I couldn’t understand why Apple wouldn’t just put in a battery for me if I was willing to pay for it. I told the representative that if I pay for new battery and the watch still doesn’t work, then I was just an unlucky consumer who got an Apple Watch that didn’t last, and I would be out $79 for the battery. That’s the chance one takes with technology and I can own that. Giving my experience though, I wouldn’t go out and buy another Apple Watch.

The senior advisor was kind, and understanding, she said her hands were tied because there is not process for this.

It looks like my next step is to go to a third-party and have them put a battery in to see if my watch works. It’s just super disappointing, for me, that this is where Apple is at which is so different than my experiences over the past 20 or so years.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I hear you and what you say definitely makes sense but like most electronics and especially car companies have learned is that the majority of customers know very little and this is a huge headache for companies.

Say you think it’s the watch battery and Apple replaces it but it ends up not being the battery and Apple has to diagnose then repair whatever the problem is still. However, some of the human race would expect that since it wasn’t the battery they should be entitled to a refund and would be pissed off at the extended time it takes to fix it.

This is why companies require a diagnosis first in order to prevent situations like this. Same with car dealerships and if you don’t think this is a problem look at a 3rd party repair place, it’s full of customers just wanting on oil change only to find out their problem is the motor and the oil you haven’t changed in 10yrs. This upsets the customers and will say things like, “came in for an oil change and they told me my motor was destroyed!” So Apple circumvents this by quoting you a ridiculous price so you either upgrade or pay the money. Win/win for Apple.

 

[cfs]

I hear you. I guess this wasn’t my past experiences. There has always been a more reasonable route.

For example, I had a MacBook out of warranty, when the battery is used to attach from the outside back in the day. I brought it in because it wasn’t starting They tried a new battery and it didn’t work and I was **** out of luck.

Additionally, I had an iPhone 7 that wasn’t turning on and it was out of warranty. I pay for a new battery unsure of the outcome and it ended up working.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Ever since the days of the iPhone 6, I've noticed Apple is FAR less willing to replace batteries in anything. I don't blame them. The iPhone 4 was the last iPhone I ever attempted to replace a battery on. They destroyed my wife's 6s+ trying to replace the battery (she got a new one for free because of their mistake).

My opinion, of course, but seems like the potential for problems is high for a battery replacement and that's why Apple avoids replacing batteries at all cost (they swap devices for iPads and Watches I thought?). I've found that AppleCare+ is usually a way to preferential treatment and far more willingness to replace devices if I'm not satisfied (even older devices). But I'm seeing less and less of that today - unlike 5+ years ago.

Not sure if it is people abusing it or what but... also... I've personally witnessed vastly different treatment from one Apple Store to another. Night and day difference. I make sure to go to the Apple Stores that treat me the best - not sure how long it will last but...

I've resigned to the fact that for best experiences, I will upgrade my Apple devices every few years (2 years for iPhones/Watches, 3-4 for iPads, and 3-5 for MacBooks). At least Apple recycles and I get a pretty good trade in value. The day and age of just swapping out batteries is long gone with all this water tight, thin, mass produced stuff. :/.

 

[jz0309]

The thing with AW is, they do not replace the battery in your watch, they send you a refurb.

 

[The1Biz]

The problem is there is no just swapping out the battery due to the design, it's not replaceable. They destroy the watch getting to the battery, check out an iFixit guide for this, good luck with it being waterproof. Apple watches are disposable, which I why I won't buy anything but the cheapest. Since it's failing diagnostics, they have no way to check what is going on, so it's toast. It sucks but sometimes hardware just fails.The $299 and $79 battery replacement are the same thing as they are sending you a replacement watch in the end either way. They just bill differently depending on what you can prove.

My series 1 had a sensor issue where it wasn't registering, and it would churn through battery trying work with it and connect, and would only last 10 hours a day. Apple said the same thing, full price replacement since it was out of warranty, which was pointless.

I next bought a used S3 which is still going strong (3 years old now!) even with lap swimming, and I just bought a S6 used on eBay for $209. If they last, cool, but I have no expectations about longevity with this product as there is nothing serviceable on it.

Check your credit card you bought it with, there may be some buyer protections in the fine print. Are there any local laws that offer longer warranty coverage than Apple (state or country in you area?)

 

[Saturn007]

Drop a line to Tim Cook. Cite and quote the web page. Ask for the battery service promised for $79. The Executive Relations Team may contact you and make it happen. It's worth a try.

The Apple Store folks are right about one thing. It's definitely smarter to buy a new Apple Watch, say the SE, than to spend $299 on fixing an Apple Watch 4!

As to the oil change analogy…

Years ago, Consumer Reports did a marvelous comparative analysis involving Detroit taxi cabs… changing oil at regular intervals or not at all. Turns out it didn’t matter! The manufacturers' recommended oil change every 3 months or 3,000 miles was a crock. Unexpectedly, cabs with tens of thousands of miles, even a hundred thousand miles, did just fine.

Even the car manufacturers now quote much longer intervals.

 

[cfs]

Not being able to replace the battery without destroying the watch makes total sense then. I assumed that the watch could just be split open a new one put in. I just made this assumption because they do price a battery for out of warranty Apple watches. But since it can’t be replaced without destroying the watch, I can see why it can’t be done the way they did with my iPhone 7.

 

[cfs]

The Apple Store folks are right about one thing. It's definitely smarter to buy a new Apple Watch, say the SE, than to spend $299 on fixing an Apple Watch 4!

Absolutely they were right. But without an explanation as to why beyond that’s protocol, and the ease of which the words rolled of the tongue of buying new, it left me feeling a bit uncomfortable with a company I’ve grown to appreciate.

Now, if some Macrumors users, at least the ones on this thread, worked at Apple, I would have left with a different impression of the situation.