How can you come up with that conclusion?
No one takes responsibility for anything anymore. The phone had water damage exactly where the Taptic Engine is... exactly the component that failed.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 8/Plus Apple store broke my iPhone 8
- Thread starter prizestuff
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
How can you come up with that conclusion?
No one takes responsibility for anything anymore. The phone had water damage exactly where the Taptic Engine is... exactly the component that failed.
Perhaps re-read the previous posts. Considering that the taptic engine was _not_ working when The customer left the store, and that doesn’t appear highly coincidental to you after they inspected it? How about, Apple likely damaged the taptic engine inadvertently , that’s exactly why they likely will replace the phone.
yes and there was water damage to that component, meaning it was going to fail at any given moment... just so happened that it stopped working right when apple gave it back.
like i said apple has no reason NOT to help its customers out.
Maybe it could have happened at any time, maybe it couldn't have, the part that maters is when it actually do, and that happened right at the time when Apple took it apart and then put it together. Unfortunately since that wasn't discovered until later after the device left the store it would be down to them believing the customer vs. the simplicity of using a policy that they can't know for sure that it happened after their work on it and therefore per that policy there's nothing that they need to do.
The OP wouldn’t be the first this has happened to in terms of being told an iPhone has water damage. For some reason Apple refuse to physically prove to you the phone is damaged and feel it’s acceptable to tell you this and turn you away. They’ve been caught massively over quoting on Mac repairs too and I’m surprised these practices haven’t been shamed into disappearing by now, especially by a company as big as Apple.
In that case the phone should be tested by an authorised tester to determine whether the rust on the component caused it to fail. You can’t assume a component has failed because of something until it’s tested properly. It could well have been surface rust. The fact the component stopped working once Apple had exposed it via taking the iPhone apart puts the onus on them to offer to repair it.
Apple have been caught very recently in undercover tests trying to suggest full replacements of MacBooks due to repair bills running into the thousands when the actual fix has been a few dollars. If employees work on commission then it can open up the possibility of corrupting what is usually excellent customer service.
This has hardly resulted into anything meaningful ever. You seriously think Apple is worried about one lawsuit from a customer who can't prove anything at all?! Apple won against Samsung FFS.
Yes, this is a much better solution and might get to some positive result.
Actually I’m in Canada
We honestly don’t know where the water damage came from, but if you would like to place that on us you can.
Now, considering neither party knew the phone was in such a condition, the fact that it broke while in their possession, opening and closing the device, puts that on them.
I know that they have to open it to inspect and replace the battery, by accepting it from us they assumed that responsibility. I’m not allowed to personally open it before taking to them for ensuring no damage.
Called Apple for the third time today and they were more interested in helping. CR setup another appointment at the store for a replacement, will update if that goes through as planned!
They did not assume any responsibility if your phone was already damaged. That is also clearly mentioned on the work schedule. But rather than listening to people who is suggesting you to try and sue Apple, you did the right thing by just trying to contact them and explain again. Good luck.
Last edited:
If the OP escalated the complaint then it would have to be tested by an impartial third party. If it went to a small claims court they wouldn’t accept what could be a biased review.
Not Apple per se, but the manager. For him it's easier and faster to just fix or replace the device they broke than having to go through all of the burdens of a legal dispute even if they'd win.
Just because he’s a manager he can’t do whatever he feels like going against the company policy. Everyone has a limit of what they can or can’t do. I’m sure he’s not doing that just to piss people off.
They do give the store managers (and even Geniuses) a lot of latitude when it comes to out of warranty replacements / repairs. I know this for a fact.
Yes they do but I’m sure there’s a limit of what people can do and as with any retail business, everything is monitored and accounted for. We don’t know what situation the manager / genius was in. This is only one side of the story.
Aside from the water damage, You’re just making assumptions. We know that there was water indicated, but Apple would never treat the situation like all of a ‘sudden the taptic engine stopped working’ once they gave it back to the customer. You said that the ‘Taptic engine could fail at any given moment’, but it was working perfectly when the OP brought it into the store and all of a sudden it stopped working when They gave it back to him? I’m not buying your argument that the taptic engine failed when the OP brought into the store once Apple inspected it, they likely damaged it inadvertently.
Can someone explain to me how the hell can "water damage" happen only to taptic engine on a water resistant phone? Give me a break. If there was rust next to taptic engine https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/IUS6g5AbGBMRcPRt.huge , water indicator would have tripped already...
[doublepost=1544743422][/doublepost]
[doublepost=1544743422][/doublepost]
It's a water resistant phone, if the water entered only at taptic engine area, then the phone was poorly manufactured and didnt work as advertised, since the seal failed in a localized area - because the sim tray triggers *immediately*...
again, what benefit does apple have in damaging something and not fixing it?
[doublepost=1544748603][/doublepost]
too many factors:
seals can break/get weaker when you:
- drop a phone
- put it near water
something that is water resistant simply won't be water resistant forever. go and stomp your feet as much as you want but apple is only a company, they aren't god and can't defy physics.
the taptic engine is close to the bottom, seems like the phone was exposed to enough water from the bottom to break a seal and form rust. the component was going to fail at some point and it unfortunately failed at the wrong time.
apple is not responsible for water damage.
THAT BEING SAID...
given apple's track record in terms of satisfying it's customers at the genius bar, i hope OP is able to get a new phone or have it fixed.. however, at the end of the day if they don't then i completely understand their position on this.
That’s not how seals work. There have been some QC issues with iPhone 8 - some are not as water resistant as advertised.
But people generally do not submerge them
The bottom of the phone has a barometric vent. That vent leads directly to the Taptic Engine.
Probably not relevant, but I brought my iPhone X in last weekend to have the battery replaced voluntarily. Got home after picking up the phone and the Taptic Engine was broken. Brought it back and they ended up having to replace it. It is possible someone messed up working on it, just saying.