Making apple accountable

[MrMacintoshIII]

If you knew this was an issue, you could’ve tried to sell them just before your warranty ran out instead of taking the chance. You had options. You seem to have chosen to waive them all in favor of the easy route of hoping for the best, then losing.

If you didn’t know this was an issue, why not? You don’t follow this site and were unaware (yet you follow enough to post here)? Do you make a habit of being unaware of the news revolving around items you purchase? That’s certainly a choice.

In this case, if that’s the case, your choice bit you back. Every choice has pros and cons. You chose to not do much about your purchase (if you even bought Applecare) and roll the dice. Every single thing you buy is a roll of the dice whether you admit that or not.

Some might say I’m too neurotic about knowing what’s going on with what I buy. To them I say, I’ve probably saved thousands and thousands of dollars by always buying AppleCare on every single thing they offer it on (with rare exceptions). I was a proud owner of the ill-fated liquid cooled G5. Three strikes and I got them to replace it with a brand new Mac Pro at the time.

Case in point. My AirPods Max 1’s failed like three times, and the third time I sold them on eBay before they could fail me again. I had AppleCare, and the third time they failed just under a month outside of warranty. I pleaded my case with Apple at the store, and they generously replaced them outside of warranty. This is because I actually made a logical argument with them about how I’m not like any other consumer in the store at that moment, that I may have been the longest time Apple user in that store at the time. They agreed to help me. I pushed my luck and loyalty and they concurred.

Still waiting on them to make a good upgrade to those…

My AirPods Pro 1’s also had the crackling sound repeatedly. I had AppleCare and just got them replaced repeatedly until I gave them away (promptly to be lost by the givee) after getting the AirPods Pro 2.

When the AirPods Pro 3 come out, I will quickly either sell my Pro 2’s or give them away.

You reap what you sow. But if your purchase had no issues for many years, you’d probably come out ahead vs. someone neurotic like me, because you’d’ve been able to get away with doing no extra research and just enjoyed your product, while I would’ve lost time on research and extra money too on warranties that were superfluous. Unfortunately for the optimistic, and maybe fortunately for the neurotic, we are entering a period of time not of stable and lasting quality for many years, but instead, of disposable/just good enough/within acceptable rates of error as the guiding philosophy, so people like me who lose a lot of time doing research are starting to come out ahead more and more. To be quite honest, I’d rather not be hung up on these sorts of things and just live my life, but I don’t have the luxury/wealth/raw talent (or willingness to use said talent) to live that way. YMMV.

Learn your rights and use them, or feel left out to dry/in the cold when you take a chance/don’t research anything until you’re up the creek/down and out.

You’re also free to take your business elsewhere. Find me a better set of wireless earbuds that beat even AirPods Pro 1’s in any category at all. I’ll wait.

TLDR: Choose your own adventure. You chose ‘Buyer Beware, You May Be In For a Scare’. I make a point of choosing ‘Luck favors the prepared mind’. We are not the same. But you’d probably hate to be me. My mind is a tough place to be.

 

[sunapple]

There are dozens of manufacturers making hundreds of earphones and headphones in a massive variety of shapes, sizes, audio qualities and features. And yet you couldn't find a single one among that group that were "to your liking" that were a better option than the ones that actually failed you and your family multiple times?

Exactly what is the criteria for "to your liking?" A white shell on the outside and crispy crackly center?

Yes, like I stated I went for the improved second generation that has all of the features I’ve enjoyed over those five years minus the one issue I had. Also others don’t offer the same Apple integrations.

But you go ahead and pick that other option that will never go faulty and is perfect in every way.. to you.. Don’t feel like I have to explain myself much further.

 

[3304614]

Your earphones lasted three years? That’s… actually quite good.

In one way that’s kind of damning-praise. For $250, you would certainly want these things to last for quite a long time. BUT… the reality is that wireless earphones (of any brand) are kind of made to be disposable crap after two years (-ish). Getting three good years out of them is legitimately quite good (relative to other wireless earphone disposable old crap).

 

[TracerAnalog]

I recently encountered a disappointing experience with Apple’s customer service, both in-store and over the phone. My AirPods Pro began producing a crackling noise—a well-documented manufacturing defect acknowledged by Apple. However, because this issue surfaced more than three years after my purchase, Apple’s only recommendation was to buy a new pair for over $250, plus tax.



It’s disheartening that a company can overlook a known manufacturing defect and suggest that customers simply purchase a replacement. This approach seems unjust and uncharacteristic of a reputable American company. When a defect is known, failing to provide a solution to affected customers borders on negligence. I urge any law firms willing to address this issue to take action; consumers would greatly appreciate it. We must hold Apple accountable and prevent such practices from continuing.

Reads like an AI rant

 

[MrMacintoshIII]

Reads like an AI rant

True. I like beating down the potentially-Samsung paid-for AI rants with abject human neuroses and gigantic walls of unmistakably human text. No AI writes like I do.

…

Well, not yet…

 

[CopiumWafu]

you mean like the German government fighting for the rights of people who were impacted by Dieselgate? the government did the opposite ...

OP: APP2 can be had for like ~$160 in the US, plus, Best Buy gave me a $30 gift card for my old APPs

Ah yes, whataboutism, the perfect discussion "winning" tactic of the aristocrats. /S

 

[jakey rolling]

But you go ahead and pick that other option that will never go faulty and is perfect in every way.. to you.. Don’t feel like I have to explain myself much further.

While not "perfect in every way" (never claimed that such a thing existed), I have a pair of Sony Bluetooth headphones that are in their fourth year of service that have shown no issues whatsoever. At the time I purchased them, they were $100 cheaper than Airpods would have been. Only real difference in terms of "ecosystem" is that I have to take 30 seconds to re-pair them if I switch them from my phone to my laptop (something that happens maybe once or twice a month).

If you really want to go back in time to the days before wireless, I still have the set of Skullcandy Aviators that I originally bought to use with an iPod Touch when they were first released (that would be going on about 12 years now, if memory serves), as well as a very cheap pair of Skullcandy earbuds that I picked up from an airport convenience store at least a half-decade ago. Both those pairs are working fine (though the buds don't get much use - the Aviators are still used quite often with a recording setup I have). The longest an Apple-branded set of headphones ever lasted in my household was two years.

So yeah, I'll continue to go ahead and pick "that other" option. Because I'd rather have a set of headphones that actually works than one that is oh so very slightly easier to re-pair with a new device once or twice a month (at least, until they break. Again.)

 

[sunapple]

While not "perfect in every way" (never claimed that such a thing existed), I have a pair of Sony Bluetooth headphones that are in their fourth year of service that have shown no issues whatsoever. At the time I purchased them, they were $100 cheaper than Airpods would have been. Only real difference in terms of "ecosystem" is that I have to take 30 seconds to re-pair them if I switch them from my phone to my laptop (something that happens maybe once or twice a month). If you really want to go back in time to the days before wireless, I still have the set of Skullcandy Aviators that I originally bought to use with an iPod Touch when they were first released (that would be going on about 12 years now, if memory serves), as well as a very cheap pair of Skullcandy earbuds that I picked up from an airport convenience store at least a half-decade ago. Both those pairs are working fine (though the buds don't get much use - the Aviators are still used quite often with a recording setup I have). The longest an Apple-branded set of headphones ever lasted in my household was two years. So yeah, I'll continue to go ahead and pick "that other" option. Because I'd rather have a set of headphones that actually works than one that is oh so very slightly easier to re-pair with a new device once or twice a month (at least, until they break. Again.)

Good for you! But your use case isn't mine so your argument doesn't make much sense.

 

[jakey rolling]

If you knew this was an issue, you could’ve tried to sell them just before your warranty ran out instead of taking the chance. You had options. You seem to have chosen to waive them all in favor of the easy route of hoping for the best, then losing.

I love how your answer to Apple's garbage build quality is "find some other chump who will buy them off of you just before they break." Apple can do no wrong (even when they do, in fact, do wrong) in your mind, can they?

Do you make a habit of being unaware of the news revolving around items you purchase? That’s certainly a choice.

Do you think everyone reads up on all the news about every $100 item that they purchase? Or do you think that, for a purchase of this size, most people would tend to rely on brand reputation?

To them I say, I’ve probably saved thousands and thousands of dollars by always buying AppleCare on every single thing they offer it on (with rare exceptions). I was a proud owner of the ill-fated liquid cooled G5. Three strikes and I got them to replace it with a brand new Mac Pro at the time.

In other words, you've had so many Apple products break on you (some of them multiple times, some of them catastrophically), that you've decided that buying the extended warranty with every Apple product is an absolute must, because without it, you would have lost thousands of dollars due to product failures.

And yet, you not only hold Apple completely blameless for their shoddy workmanship, and not only do you actively still throw thousands of dollars their way, including bonus cash to subscribe to their protection racket, you talk down to other people who might have the gall to voice their disappointment over said shoddy workmanship.

You don't even disagree that their products have proven to be garbage. Heck, you are so sure that the product you bought will fail that you will try to unload it on some other unsuspecting dupe before that inevitably happens.

Case in point. My AirPods Max 1’s failed like three times, and the third time I sold them on eBay before they could fail me again. I had AppleCare, and the third time they failed just under a month outside of warranty. I pleaded my case with Apple at the store, and they generously replaced them outside of warranty. This is because I actually made a logical argument with them about how I’m not like any other consumer in the store at that moment, that I may have been the longest time Apple user in that store at the time. They agreed to help me. I pushed my luck and loyalty and they concurred.

LOL. I know that you don't see it. But I guarantee you, everyone else sees it. This right here is just.. Whoo.. Bravo.

Let's just say that someone could write an entire textbook on blind brand loyalty just using your comments on these forums.

 

[jakey rolling]

Good for you! But your use case isn't mine so your argument doesn't make much sense.

Well, my use-case is to get a set of headphones that provide excellent sound quality for hours at a time, are easy to set up, and which will last for at least five years. What is yours?

 

[fenderbass146]

My gosh. "Entitled". For expecting a product that is advertised as "premium" (and priced as such) to last longer than a couple of years.

Perhaps if your generation actually complained when you were getting hosed by corporations with shoddy products and customer service, instead of just kissing the ring and living with it, we wouldn't have these kinds of problems nowadays.

In your mind how long should a company be required to guarantee their product can work when it's in an uncontrolled environment out of their control and who knows how it's being used or treated? It has to be specific line. It's a consumable item with wear items that go bad. He had them for over 3 years and were outside of warranty...not sure what else you would expect. Apple plenty of times has had extended repair options when required. Keyboard issues, screen laminating issues. Apples better then most companies, but clearly you have unrealistic expectations.

 

[jakey rolling]

In your mind how long should a company be required to guarantee their product can work when it's in an uncontrolled environment out of their control and who knows how it's being used or treated?

If a serious defect in either product design or manufacturing becomes known (as in the known issue being discussed here), it should result in a product recall. Not this half-baked "service plan" limited-time "if we feel like it" garbage.

 

[sunapple]

Well, my use-case is to get a set of headphones that provide excellent sound quality for hours at a time, are easy to set up, and which will last for at least five years. What is yours?

My use case is "I do whatever the hell I want".

 

[seggy]

You’re lucky you got 3 years use, I wouldn’t be complaining. I recycled my air pods just after a year.

Now this would be an actual problem, which would in your case lead to the question why didn't you warranty them then...

But you can have problems in my sort of situation, where I have many pairs of Airpods and switch between them as needed. In this case all the units will have roughly even wear, but significantly less than someone who uses just one set for the three years - and moreover, I wouldn't necessarily start noticing problems like the white noise regularly until much later on in use.

(leaving aside the fact that it is frankly madness to have a $250 *earphone* be considered disposable after three years, but the RDF is still clearly in effect bamboozling everyone into normalising this)

I have an example of that right now - I use Logitech G915's on the majority of my Windows desktops (>12), so they spend nearly all of their time plugged in. I've recently noticed the batteries dying on them at an unprecedented rate, and they are of course all out of warranty. Given the use, there's no good reason for the batteries to be dying like this - regardless of the warranty period.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Your earphones lasted three years? That’s… actually quite good.

In one way that’s kind of damning-praise. For $250, you would certainly want these things to last for quite a long time. BUT… the reality is that wireless earphones (of any brand) are kind of made to be disposable crap after two years (-ish). Getting three good years out of them is legitimately quite good (relative to other wireless earphone disposable old crap).

Ironically, even back in the day of wired headphones, I almost always blasted through at least one pair every year or two because the wires would *always* eventually fail on whatever over ears I would purchase at the time, and by the time it was time to get them replaced the warranty had a long since expired.

 

[sunapple]

Ironically, even back in the day of wired headphones, I almost always blasted through at least one pair every year or two because the wires would *always* eventually fail on whatever over ears I would purchase at the time, and by the time it was time to get them replaced the warranty had a long since expired.

Yup, they were cheap but not invincible.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Well, my use-case is to get a set of headphones that provide excellent sound quality for hours at a time, are easy to set up, and which will last for at least five years. What is yours?

I used AirPods Pro 1s for four years, and when I upgraded to the Pro 2s I gave my original pros to a family member… Who is still using them to this day.
Apple did replace them for the crackling issue, but even outside of that the replacement was during the warranty in early 2021.
It is now 2025 and they are still working for that family member every day.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Yup, they were cheap but not invincible.

Even my $100 skull candies that I purchased like 10 years ago ended up only lasting about two years before the wire (which was ridiculously permanently connected to the headphones themselves) just gave out and 90% of the time you only got one earphone working… Or the sound was inverted…
Now I know that it is absolutely true that there are high-quality headphones a out there that can last decades, but they are not convenient and I certainly wouldn’t use them anywhere close to the amount of times I use AirPods.

 

[5167767]

Now this would be an actual problem, which would in your case lead to the question why didn't you warranty them then...

But you can have problems in my sort of situation, where I have many pairs of Airpods and switch between them as needed. In this case all the units will have roughly even wear, but significantly less than someone who uses just one set for the three years - and moreover, I wouldn't necessarily start noticing problems like the white noise regularly until much later on in use.

(leaving aside the fact that it is frankly madness to have a $250 *earphone* be considered disposable after three years, but the RDF is still clearly in effect bamboozling everyone into normalising this)

I have an example of that right now - I use Logitech G915's on the majority of my Windows desktops (>12), so they spend nearly all of their time plugged in. I've recently noticed the batteries dying on them at an unprecedented rate, and they are of course all out of warranty. Given the use, there's no good reason for the batteries to be dying like this - regardless of the warranty period.

My AirPods weren’t defective. I didn’t like using in ear headphones, so, I recycled them. I prefer on ear headphones that don’t go in the ear or ear canal. I recycled perfectly functioning AirPods for that reason.

 

[Parowdy]

I understand the frustration but just be happy it worked until now, it’s out of warranty and as battery powered bt headphones, their life would probably be soon over anyway.
It is disheartening when expensive products fail, but these kind of headphones are consumable accessories. 3 years for the 1. gen is stellar compared to other units.

 

[jakey rolling]

Even my $100 skull candies that I purchased like 10 years ago ended up only lasting about two years before the wire (which was ridiculously permanently connected to the headphones themselves) just gave out and 90% of the time you only got one earphone working… Or the sound was inverted…

The cable on my Aviators is replaceable at least (the original cable is still perfectly fine, though, too). I guess this is YMMV territory, but at least you don't have to chuck the whole set of headphones when the cable goes.

Now I know that it is absolutely true that there are high-quality headphones a out there that can last decades, but they are not convenient and I certainly wouldn’t use them anywhere close to the amount of times I use AirPods.

For the most part, the only "inconvenience" I ever experience with my Sonys is having to press the power button to turn them on.

 

[jakey rolling]

My use case is "I do whatever the hell I want".

LOL. Kay.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

The cable on my Aviators is replaceable at least (the original cable is still perfectly fine, though, too). I guess this is YMMV territory, but at least you don't have to chuck the whole set of headphones when the cable goes.


For the most part, the only "inconvenience" I ever experience with my Sonys is having to press the power button to turn them on.

Well I use a screen reader every day on all of my products, meaning that I pretty much have headphones in the majority of the day.
AirPods truly do not have any equivalent when it comes to the ease of use, especially for swapping between Apple devices.
The fact my phone, Mac and iPad (and even my Apple TV if I so desire) can all immediately go right into my headphones without me even having to push a button is something even Sony can’t replicate yet.
If it requires a battery replacement every couple years for me to get this completely seamless process, then so be it, there is no other product that does it as good for me.
Saying “ there are better options out there” in regards to AirPods to me it’s kind of like saying there are better phones out there than the iPhone, maybe true but they’re Android, and I would be gaining a lot less than I would be losing by switching over.

 

[jedimasterkyle]

It’s disheartening that a company can overlook a known manufacturing defect and suggest that customers simply purchase a replacement. This approach seems unjust and uncharacteristic of a reputable American company. When a defect is known, failing to provide a solution to affected customers borders on negligence. I urge any law firms willing to address this issue to take action; consumers would greatly appreciate it. We must hold Apple accountable and prevent such practices from continuing.

Not to sound crass or insulting but to imply that an American company actually cares about its customers is ignorant. Any company, especially American based companies have one goal in mind. Sell goods for as much profit as possible while spending as little as possible. Law firms will never touch this because that would mean taking on and challenging the entire capitalist economic system as a whole which is career suicide.

Also, there's a MASSIVE difference between a manufacturing defect in your AirPods that causes a crackling noise vs a mechanical defect in a car or truck that can lead to casualties. Unless the batteries in your AirPods explode and blow up your ear (highly unlikely), there isn't going to be a recall or any kind of negligence found. All of this simply boils down to lack of Quality Control on Apple's part in which case, they can justify telling customers "We fixed the crackling issue in the NEW version of AirPods so you should buy those instead".

Apple is approaching 4 TRILLION in value...the only way they get held accountable is if every single person on the planet stopped buying or using Apple products all together for an extended amount of time. That's not going to happen anytime soon.

 

[dmr727]

I'm all for voting with my wallet, but there's no guarantee that you won't have a similar experience with any other brand. Especially for a consumable that's only a couple hundred bucks, I think I'd just buy what I want and hope for the best. It sucks, but in a world ruled by stock price alone it's the reality we live in.