Questionable Apple Watch Repair Diagnostics

[zama36]

So I'm a little frustrated. I've had my Series 2 watch little over 14 months. No issues what so ever.

Then all of a sudden there is a crack from the lower right corner to about one third of the way from the upper left corner. Literally, I felt it before I saw it. There's no spidering of the glass; no damage to the aluminum housing.

Took it into the Apple Store. They confirmed that there was no spidering and "no cosmetic issues identified". I asked if it could be a result of the battery expanding. Rep said possibly so he submitted the repair under that program.

Got the followup email after the diagnosis today. First picture is of the "impact point" magnified to what degree who knows. It shows spider cracks, a chip out of the crystal and what looks to be a scrapped aluminum bezel. When I saw it I immediately questioned if the picture was of my watch.

Called Apple. Spoke to some guy who claimed he could see the damage in one of the other two crappy photos. Couldn't tell me what the magnification of the picture was. Couldn't tell me if they had performed any diagnostics on the battery.

Love the fact this Apple employee essentially called the Apple Watch a throw away item; not his exact words but something like not meant to last. He then stated my watch wouldn't be repaired but rather replaced. If that's the case what's the point of going through this process. For $80 more I can buy a refurbished Series 3. Add another $50 and get a brand new Series 3.

But I question whether an impact point which is not visible to the naked eye can cause this type of damage. I declined the repair and want to see what type of condition the watch comes back in. I will open it in the store with a rep standing there. Per the original work order Apple documented that there was no cosmetic damage.

Has anyone experienced this type of thing?

 

[44267547]

So I'm a little frustrated. I've had my Series 2 watch little over 14 months. No issues what so ever.

Then all of a sudden there is a crack from the lower right corner to about one third of the way from the upper left corner. Literally, I felt it before I saw it. There's no spidering of the glass; no damage to the aluminum housing.

Took it into the Apple Store. They confirmed that there was no spidering and "no cosmetic issues identified". I asked if it could be a result of the battery expanding. Rep said possibly so he submitted the repair under that program.

Got the followup email after the diagnosis today. First picture is of the "impact point" magnified to what degree who knows. It shows spider cracks, a chip out of the crystal and what looks to be a scrapped aluminum bezel. When I saw it I immediately questioned if the picture was of my watch.

Called Apple. Spoke to some guy who claimed he could see the damage in one of the other two crappy photos. Couldn't tell me what the magnification of the picture was. Couldn't tell me if they had performed any diagnostics on the battery.

Love the fact this Apple employee essentially called the Apple Watch a throw away item; not his exact words but something like not meant to last. He then stated my watch wouldn't be repaired but rather replaced. If that's the case what's the point of going through this process. For $80 more I can buy a refurbished Series 3. Add another $50 and get a brand new Series 3.

But I question whether an impact point which is not visible to the naked eye can cause this type of damage. I declined the repair and want to see what type of condition the watch comes back in. I will open it in the store with a rep standing there. Per the original work order Apple documented that there was no cosmetic damage.

Has anyone experienced this type of thing?

Do You have an actual photo you can share with this type of damage that you’re referring to?

 

[apb87]

So I'm a little frustrated. I've had my Series 2 watch little over 14 months. No issues what so ever.

Then all of a sudden there is a crack from the lower right corner to about one third of the way from the upper left corner. Literally, I felt it before I saw it. There's no spidering of the glass; no damage to the aluminum housing.

Took it into the Apple Store. They confirmed that there was no spidering and "no cosmetic issues identified". I asked if it could be a result of the battery expanding. Rep said possibly so he submitted the repair under that program.

Got the followup email after the diagnosis today. First picture is of the "impact point" magnified to what degree who knows. It shows spider cracks, a chip out of the crystal and what looks to be a scrapped aluminum bezel. When I saw it I immediately questioned if the picture was of my watch.

Called Apple. Spoke to some guy who claimed he could see the damage in one of the other two crappy photos. Couldn't tell me what the magnification of the picture was. Couldn't tell me if they had performed any diagnostics on the battery.

Love the fact this Apple employee essentially called the Apple Watch a throw away item; not his exact words but something like not meant to last. He then stated my watch wouldn't be repaired but rather replaced. If that's the case what's the point of going through this process. For $80 more I can buy a refurbished Series 3. Add another $50 and get a brand new Series 3.

But I question whether an impact point which is not visible to the naked eye can cause this type of damage. I declined the repair and want to see what type of condition the watch comes back in. I will open it in the store with a rep standing there. Per the original work order Apple documented that there was no cosmetic damage.

Has anyone experienced this type of thing?

I had an issue with erratic behavior with the screen and digital crown verified in store, by their employees, rejected and sent back from the depot saying they couldn't reproduce. They sent the same unit back and the digital crown didn't register scrolling at all. Posted my long drawn-out battle in another thread, but I also have a Series 2 and experienced a questionable repair diagnosis once it was shipped off.

 

[zama36]

Do You have an actual photo you can share with this type of damage that you’re referring to?

Here you go.

 

[apb87]

Here you go.

Looks like they used a satellite to take that

 

[Lennyvalentin]

But I question whether an impact point which is not visible to the naked eye can cause this type of damage.

Oh sure. Basically the smaller the contact area the more likely the glass will crack, assuming equal force in all cases. That's why those emergency hammers you sometimes find in buses have a conical tip; to concentrate the force of the blow into as small a point as possible.

Ion exchange glass can handle quite a bit of bending before shattering if the bending radius is sufficient, but a tiny blow has a very small "bending radius", so the glass cracks instead.

Also, a blow at the edge of the screen is more likely to crack the glass than more towards the center, both because there's less material at the edge to absorb the force, and also because the glass is thinner at the edge - this is why the apple watch display glass doesn't go all the way out to the edge of the watch case; it would leave a very thin outermost edge that could chip easily when struck and cause cracks to form.

 

[zama36]

Oh sure. Basically the smaller the contact area the more likely the glass will crack, assuming equal force in all cases. That's why those emergency hammers you sometimes find in buses have a conical tip; to concentrate the force of the blow into as small a point as possible.

Ion exchange glass can handle quite a bit of bending before shattering if the bending radius is sufficient, but a tiny blow has a very small "bending radius", so the glass cracks instead.

Also, a blow at the edge of the screen is more likely to crack the glass than more towards the center, both because there's less material at the edge to absorb the force, and also because the glass is thinner at the edge - this is why the apple watch display glass doesn't go all the way out to the edge of the watch case; it would leave a very thin outermost edge that could chip easily when struck and cause cracks to form.

Thanks for the explanation. I just don't get how after 14 months I apparently hit is on something small that caused it to crack.

 

[jurieK]

So I'm a little frustrated. I've had my Series 2 watch little over 14 months. No issues what so ever.

Then all of a sudden there is a crack from the lower right corner to about one third of the way from the upper left corner. Literally, I felt it before I saw it. There's no spidering of the glass; no damage to the aluminum housing.

Took it into the Apple Store. They confirmed that there was no spidering and "no cosmetic issues identified". I asked if it could be a result of the battery expanding. Rep said possibly so he submitted the repair under that program.

Got the followup email after the diagnosis today. First picture is of the "impact point" magnified to what degree who knows. It shows spider cracks, a chip out of the crystal and what looks to be a scrapped aluminum bezel. When I saw it I immediately questioned if the picture was of my watch.

Called Apple. Spoke to some guy who claimed he could see the damage in one of the other two crappy photos. Couldn't tell me what the magnification of the picture was. Couldn't tell me if they had performed any diagnostics on the battery.

Love the fact this Apple employee essentially called the Apple Watch a throw away item; not his exact words but something like not meant to last. He then stated my watch wouldn't be repaired but rather replaced. If that's the case what's the point of going through this process. For $80 more I can buy a refurbished Series 3. Add another $50 and get a brand new Series 3.

But I question whether an impact point which is not visible to the naked eye can cause this type of damage. I declined the repair and want to see what type of condition the watch comes back in. I will open it in the store with a rep standing there. Per the original work order Apple documented that there was no cosmetic damage.

Has anyone experienced this type of thing?

This happened 14 months after I bought it. Same story. Looks like battery. Cant be fixed and they quote me R4000 to fix. Way too expencive to repair for the poor quality

 

[Lennyvalentin]

I just don't get how after 14 months I apparently hit is on something small that caused it to crack.

Well, it's pointless trying to find patterns where there are none; some things just don't have explanations. Also, I have heard knowledgeable people say that apparently glass can fatigue, meaning repeated stresses which each are not sufficient to crack the glass add together to eventually cause cracks to form. This was in relation to dropped smartphones, but perhaps something similar could happen with a smartwatch display.

Looks like battery.

The battery doesn't appear swelled from the angle you took the picture; can you feel the display seesawing on top of the battery when you place it back down? Also, the glass is visibly cracked along the edge; if the battery popped it off I wouldn't think the adhesive was so strong that bits of glass would stay attached...

 

[44267547]

This happened 14 months after I bought it. Same story. Looks like battery. Cant be fixed and they quote me R4000 to fix. Way too expencive to repair for the poor quality

Your post doesn’t make sense. You’re saying it can’t be fixed and yet they quote you a certain amount to fix it. So what exactly is that they can’t fix? Yet they quote you for what type of repair?

 

[Corgirat]

Dealing with Apple care and store for watch is just too problematic because depot just sends back the watch without repairing it. I’m going through it right now also for different issue. What a pain.

 

[apb87]

Dealing with Apple care and store for watch is just too problematic because depot just sends back the watch without repairing it. I’m going through it right now also for different issue. What a pain.

If you have AppleCare, call support and they have a ship/replace option so you won't have to worry about the influx of poor repair experiences.

 

[Corgirat]

If you have AppleCare, call support and they have a ship/replace option so you won't have to worry about the influx of poor repair experiences.

They asked me to ship it out again for repair when it originally came back with no repair because depot couldn’t duplicate the issue pairing it with their watch I assume. I kept on asking is there a guarantee that depot can fix it if I wait for shipping box to arrive in 7-10 days or get another Apple store appointment in 5 days only to see them sending it out from there AGAIN, but senior advisors of Apple care just would not answer to this question. Now they said I’ll be getting a call back to speak with engineering team. I’ll see how that goes. This is happening after a Genius Bar rep at my original visit confirmed of this issue with my phone/watch in front of him and left comments saying so when it was originally shipped to the depot. I am really fed up with their attitude of how causing inconvenience to customers is ok. And if I ask questions after questions just because the issue still exists, they act like we are taking their time and giving them a hard time. I spent 3 hours on the phone with Apple care and Apple store being blind transferred explaining same story to like 5 different reps, Hello??
[doublepost=1524753204][/doublepost]Oh the watch was bought 5 months ago

 

[apb87]

They asked me to ship it out again for repair when it originally came back with no repair because depot couldn’t duplicate the issue pairing it with their watch I assume. I kept on asking is there a guarantee that depot can fix it if I wait for shipping box to arrive in 7-10 days or get another Apple store appointment in 5 days only to see them sending it out from there AGAIN, but senior advisors of Apple care just would not answer to this question. Now they said I’ll be getting a call back to speak with engineering team. I’ll see how that goes. This is happening after a Genius Bar rep at my original visit confirmed of this issue with my phone/watch in front of him and left comments saying so when it was originally shipped to the depot. I am really fed up with their attitude of how causing inconvenience to customers is ok. And if I ask questions after questions just because the issue still exists, they act like we are taking their time and giving them a hard time. I spent 3 hours on the phone with Apple care and Apple store being blind transferred explaining same story to like 5 different reps, Hello??
[doublepost=1524753204][/doublepost]Oh the watch was bought 5 months ago

I was confused about that express replacement process first, but apparently they ship the replacement (and the kit, which is the same box the replacement comes in) to place and ship the old watch back. My particular one that I had set up after expressing my frustration with Customer Relations yesterday afternoon was shipped via priority overnight and came this morning. (there are 10 business days that the old watch need to have been shipped back within).

Glad I am back up and running, but it sounds like their overall service strategy for Apple Watches is problematic across the board. (Between the stores not being able to repair on site, and/or not having replacement units in stock, and all of these rejections and bad information coming back from the repair depot). All of my other devices (macs, phones, etc.) have been covered under apple care, and on the rare events I needed it, they either were able to resolve in store, or order the parts ahead of time so at least I didn't have to go without my laptop for multiple days.