Apple Not Offering a Repair under Warranty - What Can I Do Next?

Lkizzaaa on 28/10/2022 - 23:52
Last edited 29/10/2022 - 09:44 by 1 other user

Hello everyone, seeking advice regarding warranty support with Apple.

I have an iPhone 12 Pro almost 2 years old and is now freezing and unresponsive. This started about two weeks ago and is now at the stage where it’s unbearable to use.

I am not sure what has caused the phone to stop working properly. Its condition is near new — no scratches and as well looked after as could be for a device of its age. The symptoms are intermittent and there’s no pattern — it just happens, usually several times a day. There are times when I pick up my phone and have to ‘force restart’ it because the display will not turn on.

I’ve thoroughly troubleshooted with Apple Support (over the phone) and in-store, including restoring the phone from backup and restoring the phone as new. This hasn’t fixed the problem. Apple has run remote diagnostics and “checked the logs” but they cannot identify the issue. Apple suggests it may be a third-party app issue, the issue is not happening as I described, and that the phone is working as expected. At this stage, I feel gaslit!

When speaking with Apple Support (over a call), the rep did say that their remote diagnostics are not 100% capable of identifying faults, but it really seems luck of the draw when it comes to their customer support.

The phone is within its warranty period and has AppleCare+. So far Apple has refused to offer a repair and I am not sure what to do next. I've offered to pay for a replacement under AppleCare but I'm informed that it must have significant accidental damage.

My questions to the OzB community:

  • Has anyone been through a similar scenario with Apple in regards to warranty claims? How did you remedy your issue?
  • Is this experience typical of what Apple is like nowadays? (Warranty/post sales support years ago seemed much better than this)
  • If I cannot get Apple to agree to a repair, is NSW Fair Trading the next logical step?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Mobile Apple Mobile Phone

Comments

  • vinnychase on 29/10/2022 - 00:13
    +1

    why do you pay for apple care+ if you don't want to use it?

    • vinnychase on 29/10/2022 - 00:16

      https://support.apple.com/en-au/iphone/repair/express-replac… Try your luck with this.

      • Quantumcat on 29/10/2022 - 00:17

        404

      • kizzaaa on 29/10/2022 - 00:31

        Thank you for suggesting this.

        I looked it up and it was not offered to me by Apple over the phone nor in-store. I'll call tomorrow and ask.

        FYI, this link worked instead: https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/express-replacement

        • Stargazer5 on 29/10/2022 - 00:58
          +2

          It states, If your product has an issue that isn’t covered by an AppleCare+ incident or our warranty or consumer law, you’ll pay an out-of-warranty fee.

          You better be careful, they might not find a fault like over the phone and you might pay a lot for this service. It’s best to go In store for a free appointment and they could send it for check up for free if they need to.

          Or else you better tell them to only take payment only after they tell you how much you need to pay and agree with it first. They could return original item back to you if you request I think,

    • Quantumcat on 29/10/2022 - 00:16

      OP would love to but Apple are refusing because they think there's nothing wrong with it

  • Daabido on 29/10/2022 - 00:34
    +6

    It would be a shame if you ran over it with your car.

  • try2bhelpful on 29/10/2022 - 00:34
    +2

    Not sure where you are sited but the Chadstone Apple team have been pretty good to me. I would tell them you would like a refurbished phone because they can’t identify the fault with your current one. Any App should’ve gone through Apple testing so they can’t talk about “third party apps”.

    Best of luck. This sort of thing can be frustrating.

    • DoctorCalculon on 29/10/2022 - 21:28
      +1

      Any App should’ve gone through Apple testing so they can’t talk about “third party apps”.

      Correct. OP has been fed non-sense so that they can be fobbed off.

      All App Store apps (and their updates) must go through a review process, where things like use of private APIs to bypass security and privacy protections get picked up.

  • chumumay on 29/10/2022 - 00:34

    Ikr it’s worth it to you, why not drop it hard enough to dent the chassis and just pay the applecare plus replacement fee?

    • kizzaaa on 29/10/2022 - 00:46
      +7

      Trust me it's tempting, but I'd prefer to resolve the issue without resorting to an unscrupulous means.

      An accidental damage claim may also be refused if it's not considered accidental by Apple, and after being refused a repair for a genuine fault, I wouldn't chance it.

  • garetz on 29/10/2022 - 00:36
    +1

    Basically an intermittent fault is hard to prove. A phone crashing is a major fault, ask them to replace it, if they refuse take the issue to fair trading.

    • Mechz on 29/10/2022 - 09:27
      +3

      If OP has access to another phone they could video the incident as it occurs and with 3 or so proofs, take those in to show them.

  • AdosHouse on 29/10/2022 - 00:40
    +5

    must have significant accidental damage.

    Ooops I slipped and it seems to have been propelled into that brick wall.

    • payless69 on 29/10/2022 - 03:30
      -1

      Putin is doing just that! Got a guarantee of no Nato in front of his door. Ah well guarantee yes no?

  • Stargazer5 on 29/10/2022 - 00:45
    +2

    First, take it to apple store, not over the phone.
    If over the phone can’t detect it, you need someone instore to physically look and confirm it.

    Second, in regards to your comment, apple care covers accidental damage only. I am not suggesting, so no funny ideas. But some people use phones and iPads not in cases because it looks and feels better. Apple phones are designed with good quality glass and quality construction. They also have apple care for this, so in case anything happens like if it gets dropped accidentally, slipping out of hand without a case or accidentally dropping it in water during rain, causing water damage though cracks, they can claim apple care. Apple might just replace glass or front or, not the whole phone though, depending on damage. If it’s really bad accidental damage, they likely replace whole item. Apple care does not work for accidental scratched screen or case and minor things like that.

    Third. It really could be what apple said over the phone. Third party app or software issue.. You can ask apple to wipe it clean storage and reinstall new software from ground up. This usually works.

    Fourth, sell it and buy a new phone. Apple already does give two year warranty without apple care. Apple care is for accidental broken glass or water damage or faulty hardware and things like that not covered by limited warranty.

  • Omnibane on 29/10/2022 - 01:01
    +4

    How about iCloud sync your contacts, notes etc (just the iPhone default app) and back it up one more time.

    Completely wipe it and do not restore. Turn on iCloud sync to get back the contacts etc but don’t put anything else on it yet.

    Just start clean and see if the symptoms remains.

    I know it’s a pain but that will give you an idea if the phone is faulty. You can always restore after.

    If it works fine, then it’s something you put on the phone that is causing it.

    If not…I suppose you will have to find something that can consistently trigger it and show it to them.

    Like others say, intermediate issue is always the worse to deal with.

  • Stargazer5 on 29/10/2022 - 01:12

    I had an iPad freezing on me at times, not always. I took it to apple and they saw it freeze and restart. So they physically saw what happened. They gave me a replacement.

    I had a phone and it also freezes at times. Then I would have to restart the phone or close tabs. They reinstalled the software for me and it helped but I think sometimes it would still freeze. After a while and new apple iOS updates, this problem has been resolved.

  • Iwantthebestprice on 29/10/2022 - 01:12
    +2

    You have apple care +! Literally smash the phone and say you fell on it or dropped it and pay the excess and get a new phone and problem fixed..

    • cookie2 on 29/10/2022 - 07:10
      +5

      I'm not following. What are you talking about?

      • Muzeeb on 29/10/2022 - 08:03
        +3

        I think they thought he was on twitter without character limitations.

      • payless69 on 29/10/2022 - 08:08
        -2

        Buy more from Apple the mass media claim they lead!

    • randomusername2017 on 29/10/2022 - 10:25
      +1

      paid 20% above

      Username does not check out….

      already done it 3 times.

      doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.?¿

  • aidenh37 on 29/10/2022 - 11:21
    +2

    Firstly, this is why I don't understand why people like Apple customer service - in my experience it hasn't been great.

    Anyways, if you really want to use AppleCare+, that line means nothing. I walked in after dropping my brand new phone on concrete, sustaining a tiny chip to the top-left of the phone, paid $149 and walked out with a replacement (not a repair). Realistically though you're having issues worthy of utilising your consumer rights, and should be able to get a repair or replacement for free. Some Apple Stores are terrible, so consider travelling to other locations and trying them - if you get nowhere, ask to speak with a manger, but be calm and professional about resolving the issue (this should go without saying).

    I've been rather unlucky with Apple over the years:
    - I had an 11" iPad Pro bend in regular use, without AppleCare+. Initially Genius Bar staff tried to blame me for the issue, denying a repair/replacement. I visited another store, got the same response, requested to speak with a manger and politely argued my case, and eventually got a replacement "as a goodwill gesture" (lol). Apple actually acknowledged the issue on their website, but only offered a fix in the US at the time.
    - On another seperate occasion my new iPhone 12 in black developed a reaction on the right side, roughly where my sweaty palms hold the phone in the hot and dry 2019 summer (around the time of the fires). This time around I had a far better experience at Apple Sydney - they straight-up offered a free replacement under warranty despite my willingness to use AppleCare+, which is a good response. I did hit a boundary when trying to request a different colour to avoid the issue repeating itself - I actually think this happened twice so I ended up having to ask Vodafone (the retailer) if they'd offer a refund to change colours, of course that got nowhere.
    - Ages ago I also had a used iPhone 6 Plus, well out of warranty, that started developing touch issues (again acknowledged by Apple on the website at the time). Was walking past and figured I'd ask, and to my surprise they were happy to replace the device thus fixing the issue. So another good outcome.

    However, I'm a firm believer that all of these visits could've been avoided in the first place if the quality of the product was better. I've been very lucky with Google Pixel devices in the past, and on the two occasions I've had an issue, they sent out a new device for free (no extended warranty), and let me send back the faulty device without issue. They were also nowhere near as argumentative. (Note, though, that alot of people have had far more issues with Google than Apple, so YMMV).

    TL;DR: Visit multiple stores, escalate, read up and use your rights, then consider buying elsewhere if you had a bad experience.

  • Sleeqb7 on 29/10/2022 - 11:30
    +1

    If the problem is a third party app, factory resetting the phone would fix the problem, right?
    Do that, if the problem persists it's a phone issue. Ez.

  • brendanm on 29/10/2022 - 12:46

    Smash phone, claim AppleCare. Problem solvered dougy

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