Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Watch Scratched-Can I return?

O

otis5

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 3, 2015
3
0
Got the White Sport last Friday after ordering the Black Sport and being told it it would arrive May 5th or later. My goal was to try out the white and either give it to my wife, sell it or return it once my black one comes. Got notice the black one was arriving Tuesday.

And then...looked at my watch after doing some chores this weekend and noticed there are several small scratches on the glass. There is one rather deep one about 3/4 inch along the bottom left corner. It's like I must have brushed it up against a coarse surface. The scary thing is that I did not even notice what I did, just normal day to day stuff I'd do in any watch. I think the watch needs to be much more scratch resistant in the future (and I highly suggest getting a screen protector if you're getting a watch)

I realized that although I have 10+ Apple devices, I have never had to return one. Would love to get thoughts on if I'm going to be able to return this device, or if I'll be unsuccessful since it is noticeably scratched. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
otis5 said:
Got the White Sport last Friday after ordering the Black Sport and being told it it would arrive May 5th or later. My goal was to try out the white and either give it to my wife, sell it or return it once my black one comes. Got notice the black one was arriving Tuesday.

And then...looked at my watch after doing some chores this weekend and noticed there are several small scratches on the glass. There is one rather deep one about 3/4 inch along the bottom left corner. It's like I must have brushed it up against a coarse surface. The scary thing is that I did not even notice what I did, just normal day to day stuff I'd do in any watch. I think the watch needs to be much more scratch resistant in the future (and I highly suggest getting a screen protector if you're getting a watch)

I realized that although I have 10+ Apple devices, I have never had to return one. Would love to get thoughts on if I'm going to be able to return this device, or if I'll be unsuccessful since it is noticeably scratched. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

You can try it.

You never know.

Personally, I'd try to get a replacement unit and sell it if you don't want it. If they think it's defective, they'll more likely ignore the scratch.
 
Rok73 said:
You want to return a watch which you damaged? I don't see how this could work out.
Click to expand...

Depends on how you look at it...want to return it because I believe it shouldn't have scratched. If they are selling a $400 watch that can't stand up to walking around my house doing simple tasks, I think I have a right to return it within the given window. It doesn't meet expectations. It'd be like my macbook cracking in the sunlight. If you design a product to be worn on the wrist, it shouldn't be damaged when it is used in the environment in which it is designed to exist.
 
otis5 said:
Depends on how you look at it...want to return it because I believe it shouldn't have scratched. If they are selling a $400 watch that can't stand up to walking around my house doing simple tasks, I think I have a right to return it within the given window. It doesn't meet expectations. It'd be like my macbook cracking in the sunlight. If you design a product to be worn on the wrist, it shouldn't be damaged when it is used in the environment in which it is designed to exist.
Click to expand...

The so-called Ion-X glass has specifications which are similar to the glass used on the iPhone 6 and of course it can get scratched. I don't know what your simple tasks are that you managed to scratch it quite quickly but you should opt for the SS model if you want more scratch resistance.
 
Of course you can if within 14 days.

But when you do return, the product should be in resaleable condition unless it's defective... Or you changed your mind and want to exchange for a higher version like SS.
 
Guess I should have done a little more research...but not sure how everyone who has the Sport and no screen protector won't eventually have this issue. "Tasks" were like taking out trash, wiping counters, laundry. My guess is I brushed it up against a wall or edge while doing this. I must have had too much faith in the fact that this watch would have been designed to withstand the wear and tear of me straightening up my house...
 
Rok73 said:
The so-called Ion-X glass has specifications which are similar to the glass used on the iPhone 6 and of course it can get scratched. I don't know what your simple tasks are that you managed to scratch it quite quickly but you should opt for the SS model if you want more scratch resistance.
Click to expand...

This is why OP is kind of annoyed. You're telling him to spend $200 more to become a satisfied customer. It's a SPORT, made to get banged up. Why this watch doesn't have the sapphire is beyond me.

The more I juggle this stuff in my head, the more I'm resenting Apple without Jobs in charge. Just way too many options, and overpriced for a first generation device.
 
If it's not dented and obvious crazy damage the return should be no issue as you are not satisfied by it. I would do the same that's why there is a 14 day return window so u can decide if u like it and if it's good.
 
Banich2 said:
Did you read the last paragraph of that article? It says the internals of the Sport and the Watch are identical.
Click to expand...

Both watches are over priced
By not having sapphire on the sports was a big mistake by Apple
 
  • Like
Reactions: Resqu2
SarZ said:
Both watches are over priced
By not having sapphire on the sports was a big mistake by Apple
Click to expand...

Over priced? What about R&D and Marketing? It's not just the components, this is an entirely new product, it requires research, and advertisements! Frequent TV Ads, plus spreads in Vogue and other magazines, and shop windows is ALOT of money.
 
HarpuaPerk said:
This is why OP is kind of annoyed. You're telling him to spend $200 more to become a satisfied customer. It's a SPORT, made to get banged up. Why this watch doesn't have the sapphire is beyond me.

The more I juggle this stuff in my head, the more I'm resenting Apple without Jobs in charge. Just way too many options, and overpriced for a first generation device.
Click to expand...

Depends on why they didn't include a sapphire as if you want scratch proof or worried about shattering it. It was an option for my Garmin and did not want it because I'm more worried about cracking my screen over scratching it so when with the normal glass.
 
SarZ said:
Both watches are over priced
By not having sapphire on the sports was a big mistake by Apple
Click to expand...

How is this a big mistake? You have the option to buy a watch with glass or a watch with sapphire. The mistake is on the consumer side. I don't use a screen protector on my iPhone 6+. I acknowledge that I risk scratching it. For the Watch, I wanted sapphire because I pretty much assumed it would get scratched quickly. So I bought Apple Watch instead of Apple Sport. Pretty simple.
 
Banich2 said:
Did you read the last paragraph of that article? It says the internals of the Sport and the Watch are identical.
Click to expand...

Not true. The iFixit teardowns shows several differences in the internals between the sport and watch, including beefier machined crown brackets on the watch vs. thin bent metal crown supports on the sport.

Anyone that's worn a watch daily for more than a few months knows that you'll bang it into stuff. I wouldn't ever purchase a watch without a sapphire crystal; learned my lesson on this long ago.

I would guess most of the sport watches worn daily will end up with scratched crystals, its just unavoidable. Expect a brisk resale business for sapphire screens as soon as the part becomes widely available.
 
dilap said:
Over priced? What about R&D and Marketing? It's not just the components, this is an entirely new product, it requires research, and advertisements! Frequent TV Ads, plus spreads in Vogue and other magazines, and shop windows is ALOT of money.
Click to expand...

Yeah 4 years of R&D and who knows how many thousands of man hours, plus software development
 
Sapphire glass is more durable with scratches but prone to shattering
The sport model is more durable to shattering but prone to scratching

There's no perfect world. It's just the way it is.

I'm old and don't play sports so the dropping and shattering doesn't concern me as much as scratching.



HarpuaPerk said:
This is why OP is kind of annoyed. You're telling him to spend $200 more to become a satisfied customer. It's a SPORT, made to get banged up. Why this watch doesn't have the sapphire is beyond me.

The more I juggle this stuff in my head, the more I'm resenting Apple without Jobs in charge. Just way too many options, and overpriced for a first generation device.
Click to expand...
 
otis5 said:
Guess I should have done a little more research...but not sure how everyone who has the Sport and no screen protector won't eventually have this issue. "Tasks" were like taking out trash, wiping counters, laundry. My guess is I brushed it up against a wall or edge while doing this. I must have had too much faith in the fact that this watch would have been designed to withstand the wear and tear of me straightening up my house...
Click to expand...

I agree. I gave my sister-in-law a Sport watch not to go cheap on her gift but because it was the one she wanted the most. She doesn't care for my SS watch at all. She's taken with her pink Sport. I hate to think her watch might end up scratched like I'm starting to hear of some Sport models on this forum.

I just spent yesterday and part of today doing some rough gardening and weeding and landscaping. I was hauling heavy bags and garden tools. Working around landscaping rocks. Working around grit and dirt and dust. Digging in grit and dirt.

Then I did laundry and vacuuming and countless other chores. The watch hit up against a few surfaces here and there. Especially the edge of my trash compactor (steel against steel impact) when I went to change out the bag. Yet there isn't a scratch on the crystal or on the stainless steel. I was worried about the oleophobic coating some people say is on the crystal but there's no scratch on that, either.

I wonder how a Sport would fare on my wrist on a day like those I've had this weekend. At some point Apple should receive some feedback from customers that the Sport isn't being very sporty as that implies a certain ruggedness.
 
otis5 said:
My goal was to try out the white and either give it to my wife, sell it or return it once my black one comes.
Click to expand...

OP, my issue is that your initial intention was to possibly return it. So now you've damaged the watch that you were "trying out" and don't know what to do. What makes this any different than someone who buys a dress, wears it with the tags with the intention to return it, but stains it? In this instance, you can attempt to return it, but you should only be able to exchange it because you damaged it.
 
otis5 said:
Depends on how you look at it...want to return it because I believe it shouldn't have scratched. If they are selling a $400 watch that can't stand up to walking around my house doing simple tasks, I think I have a right to return it within the given window.
Click to expand...

No you have the right to return an undamaged iWatch.

It isn't what you believe, it is what you did to the iWatch - you scratched it, whether it is because you did a scratch test and failed, or you only had it covered in cotton balls, it doesn't matter. Apple can't determine what you did to it so why should they accept a scratched iWatch? They know it doesn't scratch under normal usage.
 
I wander what kind of glass is on my Garmin 620 I have banged that watch of everything including drops but I don't have one scratch on it.
 
HarpuaPerk said:
This is why OP is kind of annoyed. You're telling him to spend $200 more to become a satisfied customer. It's a SPORT, made to get banged up. Why this watch doesn't have the sapphire is beyond me
Click to expand...

Sorry - "sports" or not, I don't know of any watch that is made to "get banged up". One of the reasons I got the more expensive SS model is because I know myself and I am not careful with watches (and yes I have three that all cost more than the SS Watch) and wanted the Sapphire Glass - AND paid for Apple Care.
Now I know that Apple has that great no questions asked 14 day return policy, but if the damage is obvious, I don't know if they will honor that. It's not like it's a manufacturer's defect - or the OP just decided he did not like the Watch.
 
McDaddio said:
No you have the right to return an undamaged iWatch.

It isn't what you believe, it is what you did to the iWatch - you scratched it, whether it is because you did a scratch test and failed, or you only had it covered in cotton balls, it doesn't matter. Apple can't determine what you did to it so why should they accept a scratched iWatch? They know it doesn't scratch under normal usage.
Click to expand...

I don't agree, how do we know the watch doesn't scratch under normal conditions. To be honest the first 14 is a good test to see if this watch is for you. Knowing apple unless the screen is broken or case dented you are fine to return.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back