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Overheated, slightly melted lightning cable, shorted iphone, slightly burn finger

So how long did you leave the phone plugged in while at the store? Definitely worth trying a difference cable in the meantime. Just don't leave it charging while unattended. Plug it into a power bar by itself so you can turn off the switch without needed to touch the phone or cable directly if it shorts out again.
 
wesk702 said:
He did want to take the wire though, but I said that I need it back.
Click to expand...

I would read the Genius' request as "I'll just be taking that evidence from you if you don't mind".

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wesk702 said:
It ended up being able to power on after being charged for a while at the Apple store, but the tech told me that the kernel panics are bad enough that a restore can't fix. He said it's definitely a hardware issue, but he said it's definitely not the fault of their lightning cable.
Click to expand...

No way would I be taking that as a final answer.
 
I was at an Apple Store.

A guy, rather young, brought in his iPhone 4/4S, the screen was thrashed. He was pissed. In his hand, was the phone and the charger (green dot) that was blackened. He said, while laying in bed, the phone and charger started to smoke, may have caught fire, I don't recall. The Genius was rather noncommittal about the issue. He said, with the screen thrashed as it was, it's nearly impossible to tell if the damage caused the issue or not. Also they asked him if there was any damage to personal property.

They flat out said from the very beginning, no matter what, they were going to send him home with a new charger, but he refused it, because the phone seemed dead. The Genius acted as if there was little he could do. However, the manager did come out. The guy did not have to ask for him. They looked at the phone at the bar, and gave him a replacement 4/4S, and new charger. I do not know the exchange of words, or any deals mentioned, just what I saw.

He was pretty happy, leaving the store.

I mentioned to the person sitting next to me, how lucky can a guy get? The response was, Apple will take good care of you, if you phone catches on fire. He made it sounded as if I was the one out of place with my comment.

So, OP, if you were turned away by the store, a Genius, then you were talking to the wrong person.

The notion that a KP could cause a phone to melt and/or catch fire, is ABSURD.

I won't doubt that your phone did or didn't smoke, melt or catch fire, I just think that this is one thing that shouldn't happen. There should be control circuitry such that if certain conditions are met, and a fire could result, all power is shut off immediately. It's a UL safety issue. Can you imagine if someone's house burnt down and a person, even a child were to die from that event, from a phone that went haywire?

I wouldn't be here posting to the forum. I would have my ass down at the Apple Store and camp there until the issue is taken care of. It's not like it was a small wee little accident. It was a potential life treating event.

It doesn't matter who makes what. "S@#T" happens. Some things just aren't a warranty issue. They fall outside of deals and agreements. It becomes a honor issue. It's public relations.

I am sure they won't upgrade you, but they don't have to. But at minimum, replace the phone, charger and cable.

Don't give up anything though, until you are made whole.

After you are satisfied, then let them have whatever you got. They can examine it and determine truly what happened.

BTW: There is a battery replacement program for the iPhone 5. Early batches are bad, and I had my battery replaced. It's like new. They said if the phone is damaged during the replacement, they would give me a new phone anyway. But that didn't happen. My iPhone 5 is a nice little beast. I am very happy with it.
 
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eelw said:
So how long did you leave the phone plugged in while at the store? Definitely worth trying a difference cable in the meantime. Just don't leave it charging while unattended. Plug it into a power bar by itself so you can turn off the switch without needed to touch the phone or cable directly if it shorts out again.
Click to expand...

It was only plugged in for 10minutes then the battery sign showed up with very little charge showing. Then when the phone turned on it jumped to 40%.
This was after a few days worth of charging attempts and dry attempts. Thought it was completely dead up to that point.

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danilko1 said:
I was at an Apple Store.

A guy, rather young, brought in his iPhone 4/4S, the screen was thrashed. He was pissed. In his hand, was the phone and the charger (green dot) that was blackened. He said, while laying in bed, the phone and charger started to smoke, may have caught fire, I don't recall. The Genius was rather noncommittal about the issue. He said, with the screen thrashed as it was, it's nearly impossible to tell if the damage caused the issue or not. Also they asked him if there was any damage to personal property.

They flat out said from the very beginning, no matter what, they were going to send him home with a new charger, but he refused it, because the phone seemed dead. The Genius acted as if there was little he could do. However, the manager did come out. The guy did not have to ask for him. They looked at the phone at the bar, and gave him a replacement 4/4S, and new charger. I do not know the exchange of words, or any deals mentioned, just what I saw.

He was pretty happy, leaving the store.

I mentioned to the person sitting next to me, how lucky can a guy get? The response was, Apple will take good care of you, if you phone catches on fire. He made it sounded as if I was the one out of place with my comment.

So, OP, if you were turned away by the store, a Genius, then you were talking to the wrong person.

The notion that a KP could cause a phone to melt and/or catch fire, is ABSURD.

I won't doubt that your phone did or didn't smoke, melt or catch fire, I just think that this is one thing that shouldn't happen. There should be control circuitry such that if certain conditions are met, and a fire could result, all power is shut off immediately. It's a UL safety issue. Can you imagine if someone's house burnt down and a person, even a child were to die from that event, from a phone that went haywire?

I wouldn't be here posting to the forum. I would have my ass down at the Apple Store and camp there until the issue is taken care of. It's not like it was a small wee little accident. It was a potential life treating event.

It doesn't matter who makes what. "S@#T" happens. Some things just aren't a warranty issue. They fall outside of deals and agreements. It becomes a honor issue. It's public relations.

I am sure they won't upgrade you, but they don't have to. But at minimum, replace the phone, charger and cable.

Don't give up anything though, until you are made whole.

After you are satisfied, then let them have whatever you got. They can examine it and determine truly what happened.

BTW: There is a battery replacement program for the iPhone 5. Early batches are bad, and I had my battery replaced. It's like new. They said if the phone is damaged during the replacement, they would give me a new phone anyway. But that didn't happen. My iPhone 5 is a nice little beast. I am very happy with it.
Click to expand...

Thanks, on hold with Apple right now.
 
wesk702 said:
As the title reads, my iPhone 5 does not power on anymore after using OEM charger and lightning cable. The Lightning cable was melted at the end and it was burning hot to touch. Got enough to cause a small red burn. Phone is out of warranty. Any recourse?
Click to expand...
Apply some butter to the affected area.
 
Definitely ask to speak to a manager, things like this are almost always up to the manager of the store - ask to speak to a supervisor/manager on the phone too.

Good luck.
 
danilko1 said:
I was at an Apple Store.

A guy, rather young, brought in his iPhone 4/4S, the screen was thrashed. He was pissed. In his hand, was the phone and the charger (green dot) that was blackened. He said, while laying in bed, the phone and charger started to smoke, may have caught fire, I don't recall. The Genius was rather noncommittal about the issue. He said, with the screen thrashed as it was, it's nearly impossible to tell if the damage caused the issue or not. Also they asked him if there was any damage to personal property.

They flat out said from the very beginning, no matter what, they were going to send him home with a new charger, but he refused it, because the phone seemed dead. The Genius acted as if there was little he could do. However, the manager did come out. The guy did not have to ask for him. They looked at the phone at the bar, and gave him a replacement 4/4S, and new charger. I do not know the exchange of words, or any deals mentioned, just what I saw.

He was pretty happy, leaving the store.

I mentioned to the person sitting next to me, how lucky can a guy get? The response was, Apple will take good care of you, if you phone catches on fire. He made it sounded as if I was the one out of place with my comment.

So, OP, if you were turned away by the store, a Genius, then you were talking to the wrong person.

The notion that a KP could cause a phone to melt and/or catch fire, is ABSURD.

I won't doubt that your phone did or didn't smoke, melt or catch fire, I just think that this is one thing that shouldn't happen. There should be control circuitry such that if certain conditions are met, and a fire could result, all power is shut off immediately. It's a UL safety issue. Can you imagine if someone's house burnt down and a person, even a child were to die from that event, from a phone that went haywire?

I wouldn't be here posting to the forum. I would have my ass down at the Apple Store and camp there until the issue is taken care of. It's not like it was a small wee little accident. It was a potential life treating event.

It doesn't matter who makes what. "S@#T" happens. Some things just aren't a warranty issue. They fall outside of deals and agreements. It becomes a honor issue. It's public relations.

I am sure they won't upgrade you, but they don't have to. But at minimum, replace the phone, charger and cable.

Don't give up anything though, until you are made whole.

After you are satisfied, then let them have whatever you got. They can examine it and determine truly what happened.

BTW: There is a battery replacement program for the iPhone 5. Early batches are bad, and I had my battery replaced. It's like new. They said if the phone is damaged during the replacement, they would give me a new phone anyway. But that didn't happen. My iPhone 5 is a nice little beast. I am very happy with it.
Click to expand...

Wow, just got off speaking with a senior advisor and he confirmed that Kernel Panics can cause lightning cables to melt. He assured me that the Lightning cable melting did not cause damage to my phone and that it was the out of warranty phone that caused damage to the cable.
I'm sure there are doubters that will claim I'm bending the story a little bit... That's why I recorded the call.
I'll update with the post when i upload it to my computer.
 
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LOL, it was your out of warranty phone that caused the cable to melt. ROLMAO

What if it was an in warranty phone?
 
Actually on second thought, don't attempt to charge the phone at home. If you can go into the store 30 minutes before your appointment and attempt to charge on their chargers. Let's hope something smokes there. Can you bring in a video recorder and film the phone during that time?
 
wesk702 said:
Wow, just got off speaking with a senior advisor and he confirmed that Kernel Panics can cause lightning cables to melt. He assured me that the Lightning cable melting did not cause damage to my phone and that it was the out of warranty phone that caused damage to the cable.
I'm sure there are doubters that will claim I'm bending the story a little bit... That's why I recorded the call.
I'll update with the post when i upload it to my computer.
Click to expand...

I have one question. Was your phone jailbroken?

That's the only thing I can think of that would undermine your support. If in deed it was jailbroken, Apple can't possibly warranty the software.

Melting doesn't seem fair or right.

Does the phone work at all? Can you sync it at home? I recall you saying it was far too gone.

You've got to use the words, "I prevented it from catching fire. If I plugged it in and went to bed, I would have died."
 
danilko1 said:
I have one question. Was your phone jailbroken?

That's the only thing I can think of that would undermine your support. If in deed it was jailbroken, Apple can't possibly warranty the software.

Melting doesn't seem fair or right.

Does the phone work at all? Can you sync it at home? I recall you saying it was far too gone.

You've got to use the words, "I prevented it from catching fire. If I plugged it in and went to bed, I would have died."
Click to expand...

Not jailbroken
 
Well, there is software that regulates the charging rate; a kernel panic could conceivably have caused the charging circuitry to try to draw too much power, overheating all of the components involved.

Just a theory.
 
Listening to the audio, I get the distinct impression the guy has no idea what he's talking about.

In any case, if it damaged your device, they need to replace it. Whether it's the phone or the cable. In person, I'd raise a big stink (politely at first) until they replaced it.
 
wesk702 said:
https://soundcloud.com/unsatisfied-customer/lightning-cable-melting

Here it is.
Click to expand...

Listening to the audio: It sounds to me like the rep on the phone was simply affirming whatever the person at the genius bar told you, under the assumption that maybe the genius bar rep actually saw something that made him conclude this. Or because his training discourages him from contradicting what another Apple employee told you. Unless the phone rep actually saw diagnostics from your phone and independently confirms it, I'm not sure we can draw any real conclusion.

In any case: I get that you're p.o.'ed that you're not getting a new phone under warranty. And I understand that you're trying to make a stink in the hopes that "oh noes! An iPhone almost burned down my house and killed my poor family!"-gate goes viral. Maybe that would convince Apple to do an about-face on this, though past history isn't on your side there.

All I can say is, best of luck on that. Though in the end, paying the OOW fee to get a replacement, or just getting a different model phone (since you know, iPhones are so unsafe and all), might be less hassle than hoping you win the social media lottery. Just saying.
 
scaredpoet said:
Listening to the audio: It sounds to me like the rep on the phone was simply affirming whatever the person at the genius bar told you, under the assumption that maybe the genius bar rep actually saw something that made him conclude this. Or because his training discourages him from contradicting what another Apple employee told you. Unless the phone rep actually saw diagnostics from your phone and independently confirms it, I'm not sure we can draw any real conclusion.

In any case: I get that you're p.o.'ed that you're not getting a new phone under warranty. And I understand that you're trying to make a stink in the hopes that "oh noes! An iPhone almost burned down my house and killed my poor family!"-gate goes viral. Maybe that would convince Apple to do an about-face on this, though past history isn't on your side there.

All I can say is, best of luck on that. Though in the end, paying the OOW fee to get a replacement, or just getting a different model phone (since you know, iPhones are so unsafe and all), might be less hassle than hoping you win the social media lottery. Just saying.
Click to expand...

Yeah, definitely annoyed, but yeah. It seems making a stink sometimes helps shed some light. I did receive a call from one of Phil Shiller's assistants, but I missed the call. I called back and left a number for return call. The story they are giving me just doesn't all add up. Will update with a post if they call back.
Hey, if the hardware man says that I'm wrong, I'd be more than happy to take down the post. Just doesn't seem like the info I received was accurate though.
 
wesk702 said:
Updated OP with a phone call received from Phil Shiller's office. God I love that guy.
Click to expand...

Glad you're getting help. Sounds to me like a defective charger/cable is the real issue and that the kernel panics are a result. A kernel panic is essentially when the core of the OS can no longer behave in a stable way. Things come to a halt so that the error can be logged and the OS can be restarted. There is no conceivable way that a kernel panic can cause an electrical issue. The processor is effectively idle when you've already panic'd.
 
thirdeyeopen666 said:
Glad you're getting help. Sounds to me like a defective charger/cable is the real issue and that the kernel panics are a result. A kernel panic is essentially when the core of the OS can no longer behave in a stable way. Things come to a halt so that the error can be logged and the OS can be restarted. There is no conceivable way that a kernel panic can cause an electrical issue. The processor is effectively idle when you've already panic'd.
Click to expand...

Thank you! You sir obviously do not work for Apple tech support. That's a compliment.
 
Out of warranty phone frying the cable. LOL, that's a new one. Gotta remember that.
 
Without seeing the actual kernel panic, we cannot make a decision as to what went wrong - that is exactly what the log is for. A kernel panic itself won't cause any damage. A kernel panic is basically the kernel (low level software on the phone) saying "Hey, something's gone wrong that we can't recover from, so we're going to instantly die". It's basically like a blue screen on Windows. If you give us a photo of the kernel panic log, we can tell you more.

Secondly - AppleCare will always side with the store. The store has seen the phone in person, they have not, therefore it makes sense for AppleCare to side with the party who have been able to make a more informed decision.

Also remember that these techs aren't necessarily advanced technicians, and even if they are, diagnosing issues like this is down to experience. If you haven't experienced an issue before, you're not likely going to be able to solve it without further investigation.

Some questions:

- What is the current state of the phone. I assume it's working fine right now given the tech was able to pull the logs from it?

- Is the charger (not the cable) working fine?

Given where the case of the cable has melted, my 2c (based on seeing something similar to this in the past) is just a dodgy/poor solder point on the cable. If the solder point is bad (could be a manufacturing defect, or just down to being an old cable (pulling in and out over time will loosen the connection)), it causes the width of the connection (cable wise) to be incredibly thin. Putting the same amount of power through an incredibly thin piece of wire (or solder point) will cause excessive heat. This could then result in erratic voltage being supplied to the phone, which could cause the PMU driver to crash (and thus the kernel panic you received - driver crash = instant panic).

If the phone is working fine, I don't see why you want a new phone. If you can show us the kernel panic log, we can give you a bit more of an insight as to what happened.

That said - you're absolutely not going about getting what you want from Apple in the right way.

Creating posts on reddit with "Public Service Announcement" stating that all iPhone are going to burn is just crazy. And if Apple see that then I imagine you'll get absolutely no help whatsoever. It also makes it look like you want something out of it (perhaps you think you might get an upgrade out of it?) when in effect all you really need is a new cable.
 
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