SAD FART Advice

satkin2

Hi, I'm after some advice on the RT part of the SAD FART guidance.

I purchased a set of Apple AirPods Pro in October 2020.  They've been fine, but now the case is not holding any charge.  I've had an appointment at Apple and they couldn't do anything as it wasn't covered by any of their warranties etc, so I could buy a replacement case.  They did their usual tests and acknowledged there is a fault with the case and that there was no damage caused by me.  They recommended contacting Amazon about it, mentioning my consumer rights.

I've just been on the online chat with them and Amazon are saying there's nothing they can do.  They pointed me to this link (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?ref_=help_search_1-4&nodeId=G201606410&qid=1675014490766&sr=1-4) which they said covered my AirPods, which as they're more than 2 years old aren't covered.  I may be reading this wrong, but does that mean Amazon consider anything older than 2 years not covered?

I was saying to them that as per the Consumer Rights Act 2015 they weren't meeting the 'reasonable amount of time' criteria.  I guess this depends from who's perspective you're coming from, but for an item costing over £200, I don't think 2 years and 3 months is an unreasonable required amount of time for an item to work without issue.  I'd be quite prepared to return the faulty ones for a replacement to prove I wasn't pulling a fast one.

I'd be interested to get opinions on whether I'm being unreasonable or whether it's worth pursuing further.

Many thanks

Aylesbury_Duck

You're not being unreasonable but Amazon can insist you prove the fault is an inherent one.  What report have you got from Apple?  From what I gather, Apple are very good at verbally passing you back to the retailer but don't provide a written report.

To exercise your consumer rights against Amazon, you'll need to get a report to state the fault is an inherent one.  Amazon would then have the choice of replacement, repair or partial refund (to account for the use to date).  What does a replacement charging case cost?  It may not be worth the hassle, and simply better just to buy a new one.

HillStreetBlues

Although Apple said that you didn't caused the damage, that doesn't mean that the fault was inherent
The trouble is you need Apple to say they sold you a faulty product. Good luck with that.

pinkshoes

Your consumer rights are through Amazon, but you are going to need a written report stating they have failed due to an inherent fault and not misuse.

"batteries" are usually classified as a consumable, so might not even be covered, and you would also need to look at what would be a sensible life expectancy for such a product. You may have paid £200 but you are paying for the brand name rather than additional quality, so I'd say 2 to 3 years is reasonable for AirPods. So even if you do manage to get a report, you will then only be entitled to a repair, replacement or refund at Amazon's choice, and the refund will be a partial one to reflect the 2+ years you've already used them.

I'd look at other options like a replacement case (people lose their AirPods so surely someone is selling the case??).

Alderbank

Currently there seem to be some charging issues with Airpod cases

Some iOS 16.2 users are facing an issue where the AirPods case battery indicator is always showing ‘zero’ when closed. Apple claimed that iOS 16.3 would fix this bug.

Apple has in the last few days released iOS 16.3 and it seems to have resolved the issue where AirPods case battery indicator shows ‘zero’ when it’s closed. However, users are now reporting that the update has introduced a new bug where the battery indicator is not displayed at all.

Manxman_in_exile

Isn't the OP asking a question about what is a reasonable length of time to expect something to keep working?

Does he have to establish via an independent report that they had some latent defect or fault when they were bought?

Does it need an expert report to determine that a relatively expensive bit of audio kit ought reasonably be expected to last a little over two years?  Especially if Apple are saying that there's no evidence of user damage?

HillStreetBlues

Manxman_in_exile said:

Isn't the OP asking a question about what is a reasonable length of time to expect something to keep working?

Does he have to establish via an independent report that they had some latent defect or fault when they were bought?

Does it need an expert report to determine that a relatively expensive bit of audio kit ought reasonably be expected to last a little over two years?  Especially if Apple are saying that there's no evidence of user damage?

It's two questions
What is a "reasonable" length of time for a par of £200 headphones to last
&
Legally  what is a "reasonable" length of time for a par of £200 headphones to last

First one I would want them to last longer than they have.
Second one,  6 months  unless you can show  there was already a fault

sheramber

But. Proof still needed.  Will Apple put that in writing?

Alderbank

HillStreetBlues said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

Isn't the OP asking a question about what is a reasonable length of time to expect something to keep working?

Does he have to establish via an independent report that they had some latent defect or fault when they were bought?

Does it need an expert report to determine that a relatively expensive bit of audio kit ought reasonably be expected to last a little over two years?  Especially if Apple are saying that there's no evidence of user damage?

It's two questions
What is a "reasonable" length of time for a par of £200 headphones to last
&
Legally  what is a "reasonable" length of time for a par of £200 headphones to last

First one I would want them to last longer than they have.
Second one,  6 months  unless you can show  there was already a fault

Irrelevant.
OP says the £200 headphones are fine:
'I purchased a set of Apple AirPods Pro in October 2020.  They've been fine, but now the case is not holding any charge.'
 
Until we hear otherwise, the problem with the case not appearing to hold any charge is the Apple software update problem stated above.
If it's something different, it is a coincidence.

Flight3287462

Lithium ion batteries degrade over time and would expect that decline to start slowly but then degrade more rapidly as time goes on.  The answer will determined by the number of charge cycles and how they are charged (I assume apple will have protection to manage the charge cycles appropriately).

https://www.soundguys.com/how-long-do-airpods-last-55442/

HillStreetBlues

Alderbank said:

Irrelevant.
OP says the £200 headphones are fine:
'I purchased a set of Apple AirPods Pro in October 2020.  They've been fine, but now the case is not holding any charge.'
 
Until we hear otherwise, the problem with the case not appearing to hold any charge is the Apple software update problem stated above.
If it's something different, it is a coincidence.

It's a set, headphones come with a case  included in the £200.
AS OP stated

purchased a set of Apple AirPods Pro

Nothing about buying a case! But I do think most people would know this!