Hi all,
Was wondering if anyone's been able to have Apple cover warranty on a device over 2 years old under consumer law?
I have AirPods (2nd Gen) playing up that are ~2.5 years old. Thinking of going to Consumer Affairs (VIC) to see what they say if they don't replace/fix them…
Thanks, Tom
And the price.
I didn’t think it was necessary to detail it in the post, as it’s pretty clearly a technical fault.
The microphone’s stopped working. I took them to an Apple Store to get tested, they said their test found the microphone is working, but that there are ‘charging’ and frequency issues. However the microphone’s not working in practical use, the speakers still seem to be fine.
I have reset them and reconnected them to different apple and non-apple devices with the same result. I have AirPods Pro as well which still work fine.
I got them for $188 in this deal from Wireless1 in October 2020 - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/569804
The non-discounted price was $228. Perhaps I should check with Wireless1 too.
What you define as a technical fault maybe subjective.
What you describe could be something simple like getting the mic clogged up with debris. This would subjective then on if its a acl or warranty thing
I have AirPods (2nd Gen) playing up
How so? Mine have been pretty consistent over the past few years using them.
my wife has2-3 year old pros, one gets static but tapping it makes clear again
fkn crapple
.
See below, sounds classic known issue that's covered. You'll get new AirPods if they are.
If they are AirPods Pro, they may be covered by an existing service program: https://support.apple.com/en-au/airpods-pro-service-program-…
If not, depends on what's wrong with them e.g. water damage is your issue but not connecting to devices at all should be covered.
You need to mention consumer guarantee not warranty though. They're not the same thing.
Just wanted to say a huge thank you for this post. I had the static in one ear but just lived with it as it went away after a few seconds. Only occurred when running or walking. I purchased mine in 2019 and went in to Apple yesterday who were fantastic and replaced both AirPods. They were out of warranty, they ran some diagnostics on the AirPods Pro and confirmed the issues. Replaced within 20 mins. A really good outcome. Thank you again.
No problem! Glad it worked out and got them replaced.
I bought some in November 2019 and they are not working well (btw hardly used as my child stole my pro). What month did you buy them? I’ll go to apple and hope they’ll help. Just replaced 2.5 years old pro
I honestly couldn't tell you. I feel it may have been early 2019. You best bet is just to make an appointment and see what the Apple technician can do for you. I also noticed that the new pair sound much better than the ones that needed to be replaced. The bass is much more prominent which I like.
@fozzie: I just went and the AirPods were just over 2 years. They didn’t want to replace them. I wish I went sooner, as I have just been lazy. It’s best to go to apple straight away if you have a problem. Very random they replace for some and not for others (mine just had debris), when over the 2 years
@Hybroid
Had a pair replaced today, purchased July 2020 so snuck in.
Big thanks to Hybroid
.
Awesome! Glad it helped!
Great news , mine were bought in January 2020. Very sad they refused to replace
Always worth a go!
Apple can afford it! :-)
Is there an expectation that they should last more than 2 years?
Maybe not… they are a heavy usage / heavy wear item.
AirPods 2 are only $178.00 new on Amazon.
$178 isn't nothing, and is a lot of money for some people, so who knows!
It's worth having a go just for the experience of it, and being confident in knowing your consumer rights next time it happens with a more expensive item!
Edit:
We have AirPods 2 that are over 3 or 4 years old, and have been through the wash at least twice, and are still working fine!
My AirPods 3 however are total trash :-/
have you approached apple yet?
These products are kind of disposable and not overly expensive so I'd be surprised.
$400 for earphones isn't expensive?
More like $200. AirPods Pros are $400. For wireless headsets I feel it's about average cost. These wireless headsets with little built in batteries are particularly serviceable and their life is tied to the battery really.
Considering you can get perfectly serviceable wireless earbuds for a quarter of that price, they should last a lot longer than that for the price. Then again, people are happy to pay whatever they have to just to have a little apple on it.
@brendanm: Yeah of course you can get cheaper that probably do the same job but Apple is a premium brand if you like it or not. Those cheaper brands might only have a 12 month warranty instead of 24 month apple warranty. At the end, all of the these unserviceable small electrical products have limited life spans due to the built in batteries. If it was a wired headset I'd expect it to last much longer than 2 years
Apple is a premium brand
Correct, with a premium price, so an earphone should last longer than 2 years.
Apple is a premium brand if you like it or not
So premium in price but not build quality from the sound of it?
due to the built in batteries. If it was a wired headset I'd expect it to last much longer than 2 years
I dunno man, my wireless Bose are going strong at 10 years
@coffeeinmyveins: Hmmm they’re pretty nicely built my dude. The case is a solid little nugget with metal hinges.
I agree that they are designed to be disposable, but disagree about their price as $400 is a lot of money to some people.
If you go into an Apple Store your consumer law will not be valid after 2 years, they have a system via serial number that shows your purchase date and they will generally honor the item warranty 1 year, consumer law 1 year after that (I used to work for Apple). If we were dealing with an expensive item (eg iPhone, they may do a goodwill etc) but I think for a $170~ product, 2 years is a reasonable lifetime in the eyes of the ACL anyway. I think your best bet is to buy a new set.
The duration of consumer guarantees aren’t determined by Apple though, they are by the law and its interpretation. If they don’t think beyond two years is in this case it is I’d be happy to test it with consumer affairs.
Yeah im sorry bat a 1mah battery or whatever fits in an AirPods is lucky to survive three years> just suck it up and get AirPods Pro 2
The battery seems to be working fine to me, the speakers are working but the microphone isn’t. I have AirPods Pro as well.
Go to apple. They replaced mine (2.5 years) for free. The microphone wasn’t working well.
You going to consumer affair before even going to Apple is the equivalent of a Karen saying “I need to see a manager” when walking into a shop. It’s out of warranty, past the 2nd year provided by consumer law. They are not obligated to fix it, having fun filing a case.
FYI the same happened to me, My own airpods stopped working after 2.5 years, went to Apple and they replaced it right away.
Did I say that I hadn’t been to Apple? I have, so don’t jump to conclusions. The guy there said they’re not covered because they only cover them for up to 2 years. I didn’t push it then. The law provides that they’re covered for a reasonable period of time, not 2 years, so they’re not necessarily ‘not obligated to fix it’, they may be. As on Apple’s own site, “For the avoidance of doubt, Apple acknowledges that the Australian Consumer Law may provide for remedies beyond 24 months for a number of its products.”
- https://www.apple.com/au/legal/statutory-warranty/au/
Actually you did. You said “Thinking of going to Consumer Affairs (VIC) to see what they say IF they don't replace/fix them…” At the time of writing the post you haven’t been to Apple and don’t know their proposal. Your intention stays the same. I got a different outcome than you likely because I wasn’t a Karen. Anyways good luck with Consumer Affairs if you decide to go through with it.
You're an idiot. Saying if they don't replace/fix them doesn't mean I hadn't been there already. I went last Monday, they just checked them out and said they're not covered because of the age. I could've pushed it but didn't. So I'll follow up again now, maybe call or go again. I posted this to see if anyone had experience using consumer law with Apple. I've had things replaced out of warranty by them before, it's half luck. If not, I'll go to Consumer Affairs. Not that crazy…
Try your luck at an Apple Store. Doubt they will repair them for free and doubt it's worth paying them to repair considering how cheap they are compared to hours of a technicians time. But you never know.
I tried but they weren’t obliging then, and I didn’t push it. I might now.
I'm amazed how much your time is worth if your willing to fight over $188 ear phones that lasted 2.5 years and then want to go to consumer affairs etc… next time buy a brand that isn't apple
So because it takes time we should just let Apple continuously dodge Australian consumer law so they can increase their profits to send back to the US?
No, he said don't buy them. Therefore NO profits to send back to the US? And where's the evidence they continuously dodge ACL?
Their warranty statement is actually more generous than most:
https://www.apple.com/au/legal/statutory-warranty/au/
NO, NOT an apple fan I don't have a single Apple device but I don't understand this statement as friends who have Apple devices actually tell me their service is great.
There are several topics along this line as well as my own experiences that Apple continuously try this if it is past their 'warranty'. If you need their service during Apple's own defined warranty period then yes the service is good, when it isn't and you try to claim under ACL you get shafted.
@knobbs: OK, but does ACL cover 2.5 year old ear phones costing $180?
I thought it was only for reasonable expectation purchases.
Like a TV costing $5k for example. I'd expect that to last beyond warranty.
I DO think 2.5 years is low, for sure, but not beyond reasonable expectations. If I bought Sony XM4s for $300, MAYBE, but even then…..
@Ramrunner: I would say yes. $180 is getting to some of the top earphones for $$ wise. I should think at minimum 3 years would be their lifespan.
The problem is as you say the ACL says reasonable expectation, so you can indefinitely argue what defines reasonable for each product. You can be dam sure each company has very low reasonable expectations of their own products haha
@knobbs: Agreed that it's all in the eye of the beholder I guess. 2.5 years at $180 is like $0.20 per day which I think is OK to have the convenience of listening to music wherever you are.
It all depends on how much you use them also I guess.
I still have Jabra 75t Active working 100% since I first bought them in 2020 for almost full price. BUT I only use them a few times a week.
If they go, I won't be seeking anything, I'll just get new ones that are even better.
Consumer affairs won't necessarily do anything… if Apple doesn't answer their requests, they have no further action unless you raise a lawsuit.
Good luck.
I agree on this point. Consumer Affairs or Protection are effective a lion without teeth.
Ultimately a consumer has to be willing and able to take the seller to either small claims court or court to enforce consumer rights.
Its up do the individual to enforce there own ACL and its their decision if they decide to take this to court.
It comes down to what is a reasonable person would expect the product to last. In the end only a court can decide this actual fact.
If you had of purchased them at JB with extended warranty you would have new ones or a gift card in your hands right now. Earbuds are too small and have too many issues for extended warranty to not be worth it.
Just an update as I didn't at the time. I went on Apple's online chat, mentioned consumer law and they said they were happy for them to be covered, and that I can go back to the store to get them replaced. So I did.
So the answer is yes Apple can provide replacements or repairs for products more than 2 years old under consumer law.
I don't know why there was so much controversy in this thread, perhaps there's some different views on what's a reasonable time and reason for products to be covered.
"I don't know why there was so much controversy in this thread"
Imagine avoiding all this controversy by chatting with Apple online in the first place…
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Maybe start with whats wrong with them?