iPad woes - am I being fobbed off?

bigfrankblue

I bought an iPad from O2 and 15 days out of the 12-month warranty the device stopped accepting touch inputs from the screen. After much wrangling with o2, I changed tact started talking with Apple and eventually they replaced the iPad despite it being just out of warranty. This was approx around Christmas 2018.

Anyway, the replacement iPad came and in all truth, I've not used it a massive amount. Then in late Feb/early March I contracted COVID and have been pretty ill, though thankfully I'm 90% back up to full speed. In those months I used the iPad a lot , unable to get to a desk, watching films in bed etc..., but I noticed that the replacement iPad was exhibiting the exact same issues as the previous iPad. Specifically, it would not consistently detect touches on the screen, missed characters when typing and in some cases would lock-up.

So today is the first day I felt well enough to give Apple a call and they're saying my options are mail-in repair at £550-£600 or buy a new one. I'm fighting my corner because the fault is exactly the same as before (defective digitiser), which they honoured outside of warranty owing to it potentially being present from the start. Under the Consumer Rights Act of 2015, am I covered? For a device costing some £1,500, I'd expected the replacement to last longer than 17 months. Any help warmly received - thank you!

powerful_Rogue

The clock does not stop when you get a replacement. So we are talking about a device you have had for 29 months.

You consumer rights are with o2, not Apple. Looks like Apple replaced it as a good will gesture.

Did o2 advise you to contact Apple? A lot will hinge on this answer.

If they did, then you still have rights against o2 - However you will need to get an independant report stating this is in inherent fault. If you manage to get that, o2 will refund the cost of this and provide a remedy. Repair/replace or refund. They are likely to refund, which can be partial to take account the 29 months use you have had. This is likely to be a pretty low figure.

If o2 didn't advise you to contact Apple, then you will be out of luck.

shaun_from_Africa

bigfrankblue said:

For a device costing some £1,500, I'd expected the replacement to last longer than 17 months. Any help warmly received - thank you!

Was the iPad alone £1500 or does this figure include some sort of data plan or other extras? and if so, how much was the iPad itself?

bigfrankblue

Thanks for the comments. The iPad was on a 24-month contract, which it is now out off, I was told by o2 to go to Apple originally, o2 didn't want to know. The initial rate was about £60 a month but the included data was tiny, like 2GB. Apple has offered to have the iPad in and to look at it and see if there's cosmetic damage which may have impacted the damage, which there isn't. 

mattyprice4004

You won't get anywhere with Apple, your rights are with O2. They likely just helped out last time as a gesture of goodwill. 

Lomast

Probably £20/ month for line rental leaves 24* £40 so around £1000 maybe for the iPad you have had it 29 months so you may get £150 back if o2 accept or you can prove an inherent fault.

pinkshoes

Lomast said:

Probably £20/ month for line rental leaves 24* £40 so around £1000 maybe for the iPad you have had it 29 months so you may get £150 back if o2 accept or you can prove an inherent fault.

As much as I dislike my iPad, it is now over 6 years old and still going strong. I would expect a decent tablet to last at least 6 years, so if the OP has only had 2.5 years, then I would argue the refund value is more than £150.

OP, you need to get an independent report to show it was inherently faulty then take it up with O2 and claim under the consumer rights act. Repair, replacement or refund is up to them.

bigfrankblue

Thanks for the advice. Apple is going to arrange for the iPad to be visually inspected their end. They've said then if it's a strict hardware fault they may or may not repair it. But what I will definitely get is a device status report which will potentially allow me to go back to O2.

powerful_Rogue

bigfrankblue said:

Thanks for the advice. Apple is going to arrange for the iPad to be visually inspected their end. They've said then if it's a strict hardware fault they may or may not repair it. But what I will definitely get is a device status report which will potentially allow me to go back to O2.

Don't expect Apple to say that one of their devices in inherently faulty.

Muskey

As you are having similar problems with multiple machines, the problem is most likely to do with you.
Ask someone else to use one and see if they get the same problem.....if so, it’s the machine at fault, but if not, you have a problem with skin dryness.

My similar problem occurs on any iPad I use and is due to poor circulation (heart failure) leading to cold, dry fingers that are not always detected by the machines. Use hand cream and do hand/finger exercises to increase blood flow and moisture in the fingertips.....it helps with my problems.

DoaM

Skin dryness - that thought crossed my mind too. (SWMBO often has such problems with touch screen devices - especially fingerprint sensors to unlock a device).