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Apple's "warranty"... *shakes head and sighs*

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I just spent about 25 minutes on the phone with Steve from Apple's iPhone Tech department.

First thing, Steve was a big help, he was not rude and he was great to talk to.

What makes me mad, is that I get a 1 year warranty from date-of-purchase, that covers manufacturer's defects. Great! Or so I think.

So while speaking with Steve, I gave him the low-down on my situation (slow performance, system lag, slow 3G speeds, substantially decreased battery life, etc, etc), he gave me some good info and tips regarding my slow iPhone problem.

I tried out what he suggested after I was off the phone with him, and as I anticipated, nothing helped. (see Apple Support Doc. TS1445)

What got me mad (and I didn't take it out on him), is the fact that, in order for me to find out if my iPhone is, in fact, a defective unit for whatever reason, I have to PAY for tech support.

I have to pay money, on top of the hundreds of dollars (literally), that I've paid for the phone, and for the monthly rate plan on this thing.

This seems very unfair to me! Why should I have to pay you (Apple), to troubleshoot my device, that I've already paid you $400-odd for?

After the 1-year warranty? I'm okay with that. It makes sense to me then. But while I have this 1-year manufacturer's warranty? Come on!

So now, I have to go out and spend $79 + tax to get a 2-year AppleCare plan, which I cannot afford right now, just so I can find out if my phone is a lemon or not. They need to put it in their warranty description, that services fees MAY apply if tech support is needed to determine a defective unit.

Gah!

/rant
 

vansmith

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Will this be no different if you brought it into an Apple Store? Surely if you showed someone at an Apple Store, and the problems are as bad as you state, they would be more accommodating.
 
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I'd hope they would be.. The only problem, the nearest Apple Store is 30-45 minutes away from me, and not having a car, I'd have to take the train to the city. So there's $16 for my return train ticket + $9 for a TTC day-pass to get from the station to the Apple Store.

Fortunately, I'm going to the city a week Monday to put the deposit on my new apartment, so I can visit it then and see if they can help me.

Steve also mentioned that the Genius Bar may have fees.

When I was with Telus and had the Razr v3c, I had a battery issue with it. They replaced the charger and battery on the spot, and when the problem wasn't fixed by that, they sent it out to be repaired. No questions asked. The only thing I had to pay for, was a "loner phone" if I chose to.
 

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What about a Rogers Store? They're easier to find. Try here.
 
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That's the thing.. I tried them first, they said they couldn't help me and to call Apple directly.
 

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I don't get it. Why do you have to pay for Apple Care while you're in-warranty?

The last iPod issue I had occurred before there was an Apple Store within reasonable driving distance. Although Apple tried to get me to pay them for a $30 box for shipping, I insisted upon shipping it on my own (which costs a fraction of what they charge) and after speaking with a supervisor, I was finally given the shipping address and instructions.
 
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He said that tech support costs money, as I don't have their "Complimentary Warranty" which only lasts 90 days from purchase date.

So to do any trouble shooting, I have to call Tech, pay for a session (something like $35 he said for their "one-time" issue deal or whatever).

Then if they deem it defective, they repair/replace it.

It's complete malarky if you ask me. I'm going to call again tomorrow and ask for a supervisor and see what they have to say.

Like I said, the guy who I spoke to was cool and stuff, I had no problem with him at all.
 

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He said that tech support costs money, as I don't have their "Complimentary Warranty" which only lasts 90 days from purchase date.

So to do any trouble shooting, I have to call Tech, pay for a session (something like $35 he said for their "one-time" issue deal or whatever).

Then if they deem it defective, they repair/replace it.

It's complete malarky if you ask me. I'm going to call again tomorrow and ask for a supervisor and see what they have to say.

Like I said, the guy who I spoke to was cool and stuff, I had no problem with him at all.

No, something isn't right there. I would certainly escalate that one up the chain.
 
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The thing is, the iPhone is a computer, not a regular phone. So there are plenty of things you could have done to screw it up. You could have installed some strange software (Jailbreaking it) or dunked it in the bathtub, or whatever.

Apple has to determine if the problems you're having are due to it being defective, or due to you screwing it up. The Apple guys are thinking, "He knows that it's not really defective. He knows that once we look at it, we'll find out that he's really at fault here, which is why he isn't willing to risk his money. If it was really defective, he'd be confident enough to offer to pay the diagnostic fee, because he'd know that he didn't do anything wrong."

Which is lousy from your perspective, but it's reasonable from Apple's perspective, because people do this all the time.

So if you've done everything possible to fix the problem, and you know you haven't damaged the phone, then put your money down and make Apple put up or shut up.
 
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I understand your point, however this isn't the case.

Why would I spend $400+ on a device just to treat it like garbage? This is my 9th cell phone in the past year and was really hoping it would put an end to my bad luck with cell phones.

I've followed that link you've given me several times, as well as checked Apple's support doc's and followed those. There's simply nothing left, in my power, to do to fix this issue.

If my device, that I just shelled out a large sum of money for, is covered by a "1-year manufacturer's warranty," then why should I have to pay to determine if it's defective?

I'm not paying for something that's under warranty. It has nothing to do with me not being confident because "I messed it up myself." I have higher priorities with my money right now than paying some tech agent to tell me everything I already know about my phone and do whatever the process is to get it repaired/replaced.

I know I haven't damaged my phone. I only download apps from the App Store, and even then, are few and far between. I don't care about Jailbreaking or hacking my phone, it's perfect for my needs the way it is. This problem started shortly after 3.0 came out.

My phone has been in a silicone case since I left the Rogers store the day I purchased it, and was only taken out for a thorough rub-down with the included micro-fiber cloth. It has also had a screen skin on it before I left the store as well. It's in immaculate condition.

If you do not understand why I'm peeved, then you need to re-read my original post or just not post.

I'm sick of spending hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars on hardware, only to have it fail on me. I get that during production lemons happen and maybe that's the case, I don't know.

I treat my high-priced items with more respect than I have for most of the people I know.

Apple isn't getting another dime, iPhone or computer-wise, until this issue is fixed. Period.
 
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If you take it to a Apple Store you do not have to pay for it. You are only paying because you are calling in to AppleCare with the 90 days already over. Go into Apple Store and get it fixed and you can be happy. Yes I know the store is 45 minutes away from you but obviously you want your phone fixed. Pay the money for transportation and call it a day already...
 
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Well, without an AppleCare membership, you can't make an appointment for the "genius bar" which an employee told me i needed to do to get my ipod replaced. I had to take whatever appointment slots were available and they were all during my work hours. And there were never any weekend slots available :( Kudos to DarkArt for not taking his frustrations out on Steve ;)
 
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Well, without an AppleCare membership, you can't make an appointment for the "genius bar" which an employee told me i needed to do to get my ipod replaced. I had to take whatever appointment slots were available and they were all during my work hours. And there were never any weekend slots available :( Kudos to DarkArt for not taking his frustrations out on Steve ;)

Not true. Setting up an appointment doesn't even ask if your an AppleCare member or not.

ANYONE can set up a appointment at the Genius Bar.
 
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Thanks Sandinista. I've worked in many call centers, so I know how they work, and what most centers' typical processes are. I know it's not the agent's fault, therefore I'm not going to flak on him for it. Being an ex-agent, I've had people flak me out for things that are way out of my control, however I always at least try to give the customer several options to get me one step closer in the right direction, which is exactly what Steve did for me.

He informed me of what I could do, and provided me with a lot of good info.

@ Eric, I am going to an Apple store a week from this Monday when I'm in the city to put my apartment deposit down, so hopefully they can help me out. I know the one at the Yorkdale and Eaton's Center are pretty busy, but we'll see.
 
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@ Eric, I am going to an Apple store a week from this Monday when I'm in the city to put my apartment deposit down, so hopefully they can help me out. I know the one at the Yorkdale and Eaton's Center are pretty busy, but we'll see.

A couple days before you go be sure to set an appointment up online. Without it you could be waiting forever. Good luck!
 
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Have any idea how to make an appointment online? I've been searching Apple's site for the past 20 minutes..
 
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Thanks Eric.. Funny, I found it just before I read this post.
 

vansmith

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@ Eric, I am going to an Apple store a week from this Monday when I'm in the city to put my apartment deposit down, so hopefully they can help me out. I know the one at the Yorkdale and Eaton's Center are pretty busy, but we'll see.
Don't forget, there are Apple retail stores at Fairview and Sherway Gardens as well (in case these are closer). I don't think they'll be any less busy but it can't hurt to look.
 
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Not true. Setting up an appointment doesn't even ask if your an AppleCare member or not.

ANYONE can set up a appointment at the Genius Bar.

Oh! Sorry for the bad info. I did run into that problem about 3 years ago at the Apple store in Sacramento. And it was online through Apple.com.

It only offered certain appointments at oddball hours of the day. I thought it was because I didn't have AppleCare that it wouldn't let me request a time of my own. Sorry again ;D
 

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