Watchdog Apple battery repair

boatman

Just in case anyone missed Watchdog

It would appear Apple are not being entirely honest in their battery replacement policy.

'Now Watchdog viewers have been reporting that nothing is quite as it seems, with Apple repairs asking for money to repair seemingly inconsequential things before it will consider honouring the discounted battery replacement. Apple claims that terms and conditions state some damages have to be repaired first.
However neither Watchdog nor dispute resolution lawyer Matthew Purcell of Sanders Law could find any mention of that clause. What's more one viewer reported that Apple insisted he pay £200 to fix a dent in the chassis before they'd replace the battery, and another was told his microphone and speakers were faulty and needed a £250 repair first. He claimed both components were fine, which was verified by a Watchdog team, and the phone was taken to a third-party repair shop who replaced the battery without having to go anywhere near the allegedly faulty parts.'

Seem to be a few too many broken microphones, strange that people were happily using their phone before sending it to find out it was faulty..

Frozen_up_north

I’ve been sceptical about Watchdog and trial by television ever since they rubbished Jeep over a clunking sound from the transmission on one bought from a back street garage. It turned out to be caused by a worn tyre... they didn’t apologise.

Back to iPhone batteries, if done on a service exchange basis then it is not unreasonable to expect there are no chips or scratches and the cost of a replacement case would be significant.

I traded in two iPhones at an Apple Store and obtained the full advertised price, and had a warranty repair, all without any issues. The iPhones had been kept in cases and were in excellent condition. Many phones I see around are battered and scruffy, I wonder what condition the phones referred to on Watchdog really were?

Chino

Frozen_up_north wrote: »

Back to iPhone batteries, if done on a service exchange basis then it is not unreasonable to expect there are no chips or scratches and the cost of a replacement case would be significant.

It's not done on that basis - Apple only claims to be replacing the battery:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/iphone/repair/battery-power

The only justification Apple might have for refusing to replace a phone's battery because of damage to the phone is if that damage impairs Apple's ability to replace the battery.

System

Haven't watched any of these consumer report types shows in over 10 years and better off for it. Feel like watching them just makes you paranoid that every company and tradesperson out there will screw you over

If something illegal is happening then I'm sure these champions for the consumer have already started the process of taking it through the proper channels.

boatman

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/6227340/apple-iphone-x-camera-fault-faceid/

Its not just the battery that's a problem, appears to be a problem with the iPhone X face ID/camera.

System

boatman wrote: »

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/6227340/apple-iphone-x-camera-fault-faceid/

Its not just the battery that's a problem, appears to be a problem with the iPhone X face ID/camera.

You do realise that every iPhone released since 2007 has had an issue like every other item made in the world so unless Apple get to a point of releasing a recall or repair notice then its pointless news.

boatman

john22 wrote: »

You do realise that every iPhone released since 2007 has had an issue like every other item made in the world so unless Apple get to a point of releasing a recall or repair notice then its pointless news.

It could be useful for someone who is having trouble with their phone, its often difficult to get a satisfactory response until it becomes more widely known, only then when there is a risk of damage to the brand will they feel the need to issue a recall.

System

boatman wrote: »

It could be useful for someone who is having trouble with their phone, its often difficult to get a satisfactory response until it becomes more widely known, only then when there is a risk of damage to the brand will they feel the need to issue a recall.

Right so someone has an iPhone X which is only 6 months old and they had to turn off Face ID because they can't access their phone but because the Sun newspaper is reporting (unknown number) of faulty phones they now know they have an issue with their phone and should be contacting Apple?

The story is pointless without actual numbers of phones being affected and as far as I can see from the original article it seems like standard practice to issue a support document to the shops and repair people on what to do if customers come in with a issue. Kind of good customer care rather than walking in and the sale/repair person scratching their backside wondering what to do :rotfl:

Anthorn

Personally I have never been a fan of highlighting one or two cases and then applying it as a pervasive rule to everything of that type. Watchdog did it with Apple and they also did it with Iceland. If they come up with an actual percentage of users I might sit up and take notice. As it is they cannot come up with any concrete evidence at all and instead rely on a few isolated cases. Watchdog should be taken off air on the grounds that it is misleading consumers.

boatman

john22 wrote: »

Right so someone has an iPhone X which is only 6 months old and they had to turn off Face ID because they can't access their phone but because the Sun newspaper is reporting (unknown number) of faulty phones they now know they have an issue with their phone and should be contacting Apple?

The story is pointless without actual numbers of phones being affected and as far as I can see from the original article it seems like standard practice to issue a support document to the shops and repair people on what to do if customers come in with a issue. Kind of good customer care rather than walking in and the sale/repair person scratching their backside wondering what to do :rotfl:

I thought it might be useful, what people do with that info is up to them.

its_all_over

I am going to be arranging to take my iPhone Se in soon so I'll report back if the Apple staff give me any problems when I get the battery done. It is only showing 88 percent on the menu for battery health so I think it will be worth doing while Apple are still doing the new battery scheme discount.