Should This Have Been Replaced?

[ineel]

Hi

So I went into the Apple Store today to see if they could do anything about my Lightning cable. It seems to have overheated or something as there is lots of discolouration and the wires are exposed on the inside.

I took it to one of the retail staff and they took one look at it and immediately said it was [direct quotes] 'obviously user damage' caused by 'you bending it at the top'. This has been plugged into my display since July last year, and it's never been moved or bent, always stayed straight.

I've had many, many cables in the last 10 years and none of them have done this except this one, so I think it's more likely there was a fault.

It's not the cable I'm too worried about - sure I would like a new one as it's useful not to have to unplug my other one all the time, but it's more the principle. I paid £15 for this cable less than a year ago. If I had an Android phone with micro USB I could've bought 30 cables for that price. To have it a) fail and potentially cause a safety risk and then b) have someone insinuating that it was my fault isn't that great to be honest.

I understand his position - there must be thousands of people who break these things and come in wanting a replacement. It just really sucks that all he could do was take one glance and then say where I can buy a new one (like I'd be buying another one of these from Apple... ). He seemed to just want to get back to chatting with his mate.

They sell these things with phones on two year contracts, so I expect the cable that's required for it to work to last that long too. It's just a shame that the person in the Apple Store showed so much disinterest and didn't even listen to me when I tried to explain what'd happened. I've attached a picture of the cable below.

Well you can kind of trick apple to get you a new cable. Just buy a cheap knockoff lightning cable from somewhere for cheap that looks exactly like the apple version. Buy a genuine cable from the apple store and then return the knockoff to the apple store. And now you have a brand new cable!

I did this when my macbook charger broke and i bought a charger from ebay that looked identical to the apple charger and then did the swaparoo at the apple store to get me a genuine because apple care was being a bitch.

If you can't provide a quality product to me that can't last at least a year with normal use, I will abuse your system to get what I need.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Well you can kind of trick apple to get you a new cable. Just buy a cheap knockoff lightning cable from somewhere for cheap that looks exactly like the apple version. Buy a genuine cable from the apple store and then return the knockoff to the apple store. And now you have a brand new cable!

I did this when my macbook charger broke and i bought a charger from ebay that looked identical to the apple charger and then did the swaparoo at the apple store to get me a genuine because apple care was being a bitch.

Yet another member who willingly commit fraud and think nothing of it.

If you can't provide a quality product to me that can't last at least a year with normal use, I will abuse your system to get what I need.

There's really no need to do that because the cable is under warranty for as long as the phone is (a minimum of one year). Just get it swapped out like normal. Members who run into problems swapping it out are not typical occurrence.

 

[TWO2SEVEN]

Well you can kind of trick apple to get you a new cable. Just buy a cheap knockoff lightning cable from somewhere for cheap that looks exactly like the apple version. Buy a genuine cable from the apple store and then return the knockoff to the apple store. And now you have a brand new cable!

I did this when my macbook charger broke and i bought a charger from ebay that looked identical to the apple charger and then did the swaparoo at the apple store to get me a genuine because apple care was being a bitch.

If you can't provide a quality product to me that can't last at least a year with normal use, I will abuse your system to get what I need.

You're awesome!

 

[marshallbedsaul]

I can't count the number of times I had cables replaced. Go in show them and get new cable always.

 

[canucksfan88]

Wow..thats terrible.

Apple Stores in Vancouver, Canada have never given me any problems with bad cables. I think i have gotten about 10 swapped throughout my history of owning apple products.

 

[BeeJee]

Wow..thats terrible.

Apple Stores in Vancouver, Canada have never given me any problems with bad cables. I think i have gotten about 10 swapped throughout my history of owning apple products.

You're lucky. I was once treated so poorly at my once local Apple store that Apple support felt the need to give me a brand new phone to help keep me a happy customer. Some of their employees act like they own the place and that giving someone a new cable is like giving them a key to their house.

 

[lordofthereef]

Well you can kind of trick apple to get you a new cable. Just buy a cheap knockoff lightning cable from somewhere for cheap that looks exactly like the apple version. Buy a genuine cable from the apple store and then return the knockoff to the apple store. And now you have a brand new cable!

I did this when my macbook charger broke and i bought a charger from ebay that looked identical to the apple charger and then did the swaparoo at the apple store to get me a genuine because apple care was being a bitch.

If you can't provide a quality product to me that can't last at least a year with normal use, I will abuse your system to get what I need.

So some poor sap is going to buy that thing and not realize they have some crappy knockoff, potentially damaging their macbook?

You aren't sticking it to Apple. You are sticking it to some poor working class bastard that may have had to work harder than you to be able to buy that cable for himself. Jesus...

 

[Grolubao]

I got my cable replaced for free at Apple when something similar happened

 

[MikeyMike01]

Mighty fine picture of a shadow you got there.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I don't know what the policy is in the U.K., but as long as the phone is under warranty the cable is too (the contract is irrelevant). Sounds like your iPhone 5 is out of warranty.

However, if you bought this cable separately less than a year ago shouldn't it be under Apple's one-year warranty?

You are covered for 24 months in the UK. You may have to argue it but Apple should offer to repair non user caused faults for up to 2 years.

http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

 

[DCIFRTHS]

So some poor sap is going to buy that thing and not realize they have some crappy knockoff, potentially damaging their macbook?

You aren't sticking it to Apple. You are sticking it to some poor working class bastard that may have had to work harder than you to be able to buy that cable for himself. Jesus...

I agree, and this is why I am anal about making sure I buy a factory sealed package, and I'm against the store being able to repackage returned items.

It's ****ed up to subject another customer, spending their money, on a used, probably inferior product.

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Well you can kind of trick apple to get you a new cable. Just buy a cheap knockoff lightning cable from somewhere for cheap that looks exactly like the apple version. Buy a genuine cable from the apple store and then return the knockoff to the apple store. And now you have a brand new cable!

I did this when my macbook charger broke and i bought a charger from ebay that looked identical to the apple charger and then did the swaparoo at the apple store to get me a genuine because apple care was being a bitch.

If you can't provide a quality product to me that can't last at least a year with normal use, I will abuse your system to get what I need.

I understand you wanting to stick it to Apple, but the only person that's going to suffer is the one that buys the cable you returned. That person could be me. It could be a friend of yours. Etc... What if the knockoff charger causes a fire?

If Apple does sell this charger to someone else, and it causes any type of damage, they should be held responsible. Unfortunately, the user will have no way of proving that they didn't buy the counterfeit charger themselves. ****ed up all the way around.

 

[jamesjay]

The same thing has happened to 2 of my friends. I wonder why this keeps happening.

 

[cambookpro]

Mighty fine picture of a shadow you got there.

A lamp and a huge iPad trying to take a photo don't really mix


Anyway, to anyone wondering (not that it really matters), my replacement cable arrived today. At least situation ended with what I believe to be a fair resolution.

I honestly don't know what caused it to be like that. It's always plugged into my display with no strain, I showed a picture of it to an Apple rep online and they agreed it shouldn't have failed if it was always plugged in that way. I think it may have been caused by possibly the casing heating up and then I may've pulled on the cable - there was a small nick in it and a slight kink ever since I got it with my iPad.

Anyway, I only ever use this cable half the time - as I'm not at the place it is half the time - and it's for my iPad which I only charge 3-4 times a week. If it's six months old, I've unplugged it no more than 50 times. It should last even when pulling on the cable for that amount of time.

To the poster suggesting people commit fraud for the sake of a cable...

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

So some poor sap is going to buy that thing and not realize they have some crappy knockoff, potentially damaging their macbook?

You aren't sticking it to Apple. You are sticking it to some poor working class bastard that may have had to work harder than you to be able to buy that cable for himself. Jesus...

I don't think they actually refurbish cables, chargers, etc. Still it's unnecessary as accessories are covered as long as the phone is under warranty so just swap them out as normal.

I just swapped out a defective cable at the Apple store last night.