Apple Watch dead after swimming

[lili99]

Hi All,
I bought my series 4 in December 2019 (from Currys UK) and took it swimming in the pool for the first time last week (I’ve always felt hesitant about getting it wet). I started a swim workout which water locked the device and after no more than 15 minutes in the pool I looked at the watch. It was glitching and restarting itself while being unresponsive to me pressing any buttons so I took it off and left it to dry for an hour. I followed Apple’s advice leaving it to charge for 2 hours then tried to start it by holding down the side button and digital crown- it was still unresponsive. A few hours later the screen flashed on with a picture of a charging cable and red lightning bolt, I put it on charge immediately but since then there has been nothing. I took it into the Apple store and explained the situation. They said there was most likely a fault due to a manufacturing error in either the water seal or another component but as I had not discovered the fault during the 6 month warranty- it was my liability to pay for repair. I tried to explain I hadn’t discovered the fault because I was too scared to use it in water for this exact reason but they said there was nothing they could do. I am a student so do not have £280 to pay for a repair or a replacement for a product I have only had for 21 months.
Has anyone had a similar experience or any advice- I really don’t want to just throw away a £300 watch!

 

[Howard2k]

Seals deteriorate over time. It does seem unfortunate but if you didn’t get Apple Care then the warranty has likely expired.

 

[960design]

Has anyone had a similar experience or any advice- I really don’t want to just throw away a £300 watch!

All I can do is sympathize with you.
I've had just about every version of the Apple Watch, starting with S0. I've nearly daily swam with all except the current model I have. Only been in the ocean a few times this year. Next watch will not be so lucky. My family has never had any issues with water and their watches. I know that does not help, but hoping it will make you feel a bit more confident about the next one.

 

[Donka]

Did you get a report from Apple support saying the likely cause of failure? If so, return it to Curry’s with that information and they will need to replace it for you. I would ask the Apple Store to print out a summary of the issue and take that to Currys with you.

 

[PatrickCocoa]

...as I had not discovered the fault during the 6 month warranty- it was my liability to pay for repair. I tried to explain I hadn’t discovered the fault because I was too scared to use it in water for this exact reason...

I feel for you, less than two years use from an expensive item is not a good situation.

In addition, since you're a student you may want to look on this as a learning situation. Next time you buy something with a warranty, use the first month as a "I want to find issues with this and return it" period.

Buy a new computer? Try all of the monitor configurations you want, and run some heavy workloads.
Buy a new waterproof gadget? Stick it in a glass of water or take it with you swimming.
Buy a new car? Take it to a mechanic and have them see if there are any issues.
Buy a new phone? Make sure it works with all of the apps you use.

I realize this doesn't help your current situation at all, but it may be useful in the future.

 

[deckard666]

Did you pay originally by credit card ?

How to complain to your credit card company about a faulty product - Which?

If you want to make a claim to your credit card provider about a faulty product, our guide explains how to contact the company and how to escalate the complaint.

www.which.co.uk

 

[Angelus]

I know it sucks to lose your watch but unfortunately these things are not permanently waterproof.


I have an Apple Watch series 5 myself with AppleCare and I just don’t think it’s worth the potential hassle to take it swimming. I wear my Eco-drive diver with serviceable gaskets because at least I can perform preventative maintenance.

I have a reasonable watch collection and also build my own mechanicals too. There are seals everywhere and they degrade with time. Seals are only good until they fail and they all fail eventually.

Hence, I routinely send my nicer watches for a service/gasket replacement every two years or so.

The Apple Watch is not serviceable in that sense. So realistically if you want to use it in water, you need to buy AppleCare + AND be aware/willing to replace it with a newer model when (not if) the seals fail (out of warranty) and it’s flooded with water.

Despite this, it still sucks to have lost your watch to water ingress.

 

[henry72]

Based on what you have said, it is not your fault at all! The Apple Watch S4 is swim proof and it should last a lot longer than 1.5 years. Unless you went over 50m which is very unlikely in a pool lol. “They should not be used for scuba diving or waterskiing, or other activities involving high‑velocity water or submersion below a shallow depth.”

The UK has good consumer law, do some research. Have a look at this page - https://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/uk/

I would ring Apple, ask for a senior advisor and explain your situation. Also “remind” them about the consumer law in the UK. You have a very good case to demand for a brand new replacement. They might transfer you to the Customer Relations team.

Keep us posted. All the best

 

[Donka]

Keep in mind the watch was bought from Currys so you will need to claim from them. That is why I say to ask Apple support in the store to provide a printout of their analysis. You can use this to provide evidence of a manufacturing defect to Currys and by law they will need to put it right. This usually involves a refurbished replacement as the devices are rarely repairable.
I did this with an ipad. Apple provided the documentation I needed and i took it to Currys who refunded the cost of a replacement direct from Apple.