MSE News: Apple to cut cost of replacing iPhone batteries

RealGandy

I had a battery replaced on a 6s in the middle of November and have just had a refund for the difference.

I did a support webchat and the advisor confirmed a refund is due. They arranged a callback who organised the refund... she did say it was supposed to be only for replacements made after Dec 14th though and the chat advisor made a mistake, but they honoured it.

Worth giving them a call and see where you get?

buglawton

So the Ms went for the £25 battery swap on a near 3 year old iPhone 6 and they found the old battery was jammed in (I guess it swelled slightly).

They replaced the iPhone. Somewhat unnerving though as we didn't have an up to the minute backup and you couldn't make outgoing calls till the restore was done.

Also they make you fill a form in with the unlock PIN and your iCloud/iTunes password. I noticed they logged iCloud/Find My iPhone out just before starting (as if half expecting trouble). We were told that the old phone couldn't be restarted. By theoretically anyone with that form can unlock and rifle through the phone if it can be restarted .

Of course I've now changed the iCloud and email passwords, but rather unimpressed that the Apple Genius didn't advise us to do it.

d123

buglawton wrote: »

So the Ms went for the £25 battery swap on a near 3 year old iPhone 6 and they found the old battery was jammed in (I guess it swelled slightly).

They replaced the iPhone. Somewhat unnerving though as we didn't have an up to the minute backup and you couldn't make outgoing calls till the restore was done.

Also they make you fill a form in with the unlock PIN and your iCloud/iTunes password. I noticed they logged iCloud/Find My iPhone out just before starting (as if half expecting trouble). We were told that the old phone couldn't be restarted. By theoretically anyone with that form can unlock and rifle through the phone if it can be restarted .

Of course I've now changed the iCloud and email passwords, but rather unimpressed that the Apple Genius didn't advise us to do it.

The usually initiate a reset as soon as the log out is done, I wouldn’t be too worried.

buglawton

d123 wrote: »

The usually initiate a reset as soon as the log out is done, I wouldn’t be too worried.

Without warning the owner that their phone is about to be wiped? Hmm.

System

buglawton wrote: »

Without warning the owner that their phone is about to be wiped? Hmm.

I think it’s best you go back into Apple and give them your fears and get them to explain again exactly what their procedures are when handing your phone over to them before you had a chance to do a reset yourself.

I would rather hear it from the horses mouth so to speak rather than getting possibly different interpretations of what happens. If Apple themselves can’t allay your fears then I would say it’s best you don’t do business with them in the future because trust is important when it comes to personal information on a device which your handing over.

d123

buglawton wrote: »

Without warning the owner that their phone is about to be wiped? Hmm.

No, when they tell the owner they’re replacing it.

You’re also supposed to do a back up before attending, it’s something they say when you book the appointment.

buglawton

Apple does send out an appointment email in advance. There's no obvious warning in it that the phone could get wiped or to make a backup. But I'll check if it's in the small print.

Another thing is that your receipt for the replacement is buried in the work order details email (not in the separate email headed 'receipt'). It's essential to print this work order email and keep this as it's the only proof of ownership and continued warranty.

d123

buglawton wrote: »

It's essential to print this work order email and keep this as it's the only proof of ownership and continued warranty.

Agreed, at least it’s emailed (and if you’ve got something like gmail, always accessible) and by virtue of showing old IMEI and new IMEI is accepted for insurance purposes etc.

System

gozaimasu wrote: »

This is annoying. I've got a 5 and was thinking about getting an SE. Is a brand new SE still affected by this slowing down issue and will I need to be paying the £25 that people are paying for the 6s and SEs they've been using for years?

This is the statement Apple released

https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone-battery-and-performance/

There is nothing wrong with buying the SE and it won’t be slowed down. Plus Apple are releasing an update in future iOS release to bettter communicate what is happening with the battery performance.

However if you don’t trust what Apple is saying or you believe different opinions other than Apple’s own statement then do not buy anymore iPhones and switch to another manufacturer.

d123

gozaimasu wrote: »

This is annoying. I've got a 5 and was thinking about getting an SE. Is a brand new SE still affected by this slowing down issue and will I need to be paying the £25 that people are paying for the 6s and SEs they've been using for years?

A brand new phone will have a brand new battery. The slowdown is for worn out batteries...