How’s your silicone solo loop holding up?

[currrr]

I fared better with Apple, perhaps because my Deep Navy Solo Loop is just 2 months old? (purchased early Dec.)

Anyway, I phoned Apple which led to a screen share so I was able to show just how unacceptably worn the band has become in such a short time.

The Rep quickly agreed and arranged for a replacement to be shipped to me. I requested a Deep Navy Sport Band instead, and this remedy is now in the works.

You know if you spoke with a sales rep or AppleCare rep?
Cause at first I started an online chat which led to a call and it was all dealt through AppleCare. They said they couldn't set up a replacement for the band.
Knowing the band was bought separately from the watch, they passed me onto sales which just told me this is wear and tear so tough luck.

Did you buy your watch with the band? If you did, it might have been an easier case since it would be linked with your watch's warranty.

 

[KayEm6419]

You know if you spoke with a sales rep or AppleCare rep?
Cause at first I started an online chat which led to a call and it was all dealt through AppleCare. They said they couldn't set up a replacement for the band.
Knowing the band was bought separately from the watch, they passed me onto sales which just told me this is wear and tear so tough luck.

Did you buy your watch with the band? If you did, it might have been an easier case since it would be linked with your watch's warranty.

Hi currrr,

I purchased the band as an accessory separate from a watch.

As to the call: The auto-answer system connected me to Sales. This Sales Rep heard my tale of loop woe, and assured me it shouldn't be a problem to get a replacement, as all Apple branded accessories are under a 1yr warranty. She promptly transferred me to Apple Care.

It was with this AC Rep that I had the screen share. The Rep did all she could, and then connected with a Senior Advisor to okay the no-cost replacement. I did not speak with Sr Advisor.

The call took almost 1 1/2 hrs, most of it spent on hold awaiting the Sr Advisor.

 

[currrr]

Hi currrr,

I purchased the band as an accessory separate from a watch.

As to the call: The auto-answer system connected me to Sales. This Sales Rep heard my tale of loop woe, and assured me it shouldn't be a problem to get a replacement, as all Apple branded accessories are under a 1yr warranty. She promptly transferred me to Apple Care.

It was with this AC Rep that I had the screen share. The Rep did all she could, and then connected with a Senior Advisor to okay the no-cost replacement. I did not speak with Sr Advisor.

The call took almost 1 1/2 hrs, most of it spent on hold awaiting the Sr Advisor.

Oh god. 1 1/2 hours. My patience level was already near 0 by the time my case hit 1 hour. I went through the same routine but the Sr Advisor from AC tried and said she could not do a no-cost replacement; says it would simply be a 50$ charge for replacement (which is getting a new band). Idk, might just be my luck, but I think I'll just live with the wear and tear unless I got another 2 hours to shed one day. Happy for you though! Did they have to authorize your CC and require you to send back the old one?

 

[KayEm6419]

Oh god. 1 1/2 hours. My patience level was already near 0 by the time my case hit 1 hour. I went through the same routine but the Sr Advisor from AC tried and said she could not do a no-cost replacement; says it would simply be a 50$ charge for replacement (which is getting a new band). Idk, might just be my luck, but I think I'll just live with the wear and tear unless I got another 2 hours to shed one day. Happy for you though! Did they have to authorize your CC and require you to send back the old one?

Fortunately, I was able to put the time to some good use, and didn't really realize so much had gone by.

No CC authorization nor Return required.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[AJACs3]

Got size 8 44mm in September. Did stretch a bit over time. Worn daily and nightly. Removed watch to charge in the morning and switched wrists for sleep. (Let the daytime wrist “breathe”.)

It now has a small tear only after 4 months.

I stayed very pleasant and polite. The first iMessage chat support person basically said there was nothing they could do. When I later added a reaction, it reopened the ticket and the next rep understood and scheduled a call back from a senior advisor. When they senior advisor called, I stayed pleasant and basically said $50 for 4 months of wear is much less than I expected of Apple quality. I also suggested that they needed to get in front of this because the forums are starting to fill with complaints of early failures. She eventually had to call be back later but did indeed get me a replacement band.

I wear the watch to monitor sleep, and I think that’s where the band got the worst stretching. I thrash and I started to notice as it got looser it also started to snag on the sheets. Now I just switch it out when going to bed, and back when I charge it in the morning. Here’s hoping for better than just another 4 months.

 

[michaelb5000]

I was very happy with my solo loop until the other day. they are very comfortable. This happened just taking it off, so the strap snapped without any warning.

 

[Mobile923]

Oh man, this is what I fear with any stretchable band... For this band and a Tefeca Elastic band, i just manually link/unlink the bottom lug of the watch every time. A little tedious, but better than the stress on the band when needing to take the watch off

 

[Htsi]

I was very happy with my solo loop until the other day. they are very comfortable. This happened just taking it off, so the strap snapped without any warning.

View attachment 1735747

I would like to believe that this will be covered in warranty, was it?

 

[michaelb5000]

I would like to believe that this will be covered in warranty, was it?

Yes. This is my third watch so I have other bands. I put my sport loop on it, which is a very comfortable band, and I was surprised how much I prefer the solo loop. So I finally got around to contacting Apple and they are shipping me a replacement band. So hopefully most of these bands hold up better than this one did. I may order a braid at some point.

 

[AJACs3]

I would like to believe that this will be covered in warranty, was it?

My solo band was purchased long after my watch, so it was NOT covered by warranty. (The first line support agent was trying to find a way to get me covered.) They finally said they could not replace it, so I asked to have it elevated it to the next level, staying polite but expressing my disappointment in the short lifespan (“I expected so much more from Apple quality”) and warned the manager that they will be seeing a lot more of these complaints pretty soon. They eventually found a way to get a brand new one to me, but the manager needed to get back to me after a few hours before they got it okayed.

 

[anodibu]

Another one here where the surface looks dirty. Mine is a bit over two months old but I think it started already after one month. First I thought it was just dirty but after cleaning it stayed that way and then I found this thread, so I called Apple support.

The first rep asked me questions and then said I couldn’t return it because it was older than two weeks. I said that I wanted an exchange not a return because I didn’t find the wear normal after such a short period and my other Apple bands still look great despite being older. She then said she needed to consult her senior. When she came back, she said the senior will handle this and transferred me.

I explained it again and he asked to send a photo. I sent some and he asked a minute to examine those. When he came back, he agreed to send me a new band. He asked for the size and colour of my band. I asked if I could change the colour but he said this wasn’t possible.
The next day it already arrived, so it was quickly resolved. But since I got the same colour, I’m afraid it will just happen again.

Here a photo of the new band compared to the old one. Notice they’re the same size, so it stretched a bit:

 

[PaladinGuy]

Another one here where the surface looks dirty. Mine is a bit over two months old but I think it started already after one month. First I thought it was just dirty but after cleaning it stayed that way and then I found this thread, so I called Apple support.

The first rep asked me questions and then said I couldn’t return it because it was older than two weeks. I said that I wanted an exchange not a return because I didn’t find the wear normal after such a short period and my other Apple bands still look great despite being older. She then said she needed to consult her senior. When she came back, she said the senior will handle this and transferred me.

I explained it again and he asked to send a photo. I sent some and he asked a minute to examine those. When he came back, he agreed to send me a new band. He asked for the size and colour of my band. I asked if I could change the colour but he said this wasn’t possible.
The next day it already arrived, so it was quickly resolved. But since I got the same colour, I’m afraid it will just happen again.

Here a photo of the new band compared to the old one. Notice they’re the same size, so it stretched a bit:

View attachment 1746397

Glad they sorted it out for you. Is that a black solo loop? I returned my deep navy because of this and bought a used black one. It’s also lost color uniformity on the edges, but it seems a little better than the deep navy. I’m not sure if they’re just not consistent with how they’re coated or if some colors are worse than others.

 

[anodibu]

Glad they sorted it out for you. Is that a black solo loop? I returned my deep navy because of this and bought a used black one. It’s also lost color uniformity on the edges, but it seems a little better than the deep navy. I’m not sure if they’re just not consistent with how they’re coated or if some colors are worse than others.

It’s a black one. That’s what I am also wondering, was it a bad coating or are some colours more prone to showing it.

 

[tuanlouis]

Interesting,

I have to agree that some solo loops are easy to wear out even when unboxing.

Last week I received a deep navy loop, there were some light shadow parts on the surface of it. I return it and get a new one with no defect.

 

[Vegaspilot]

I bought my Cyprus Green Solo Loop in October, it has turned shiny along the edges, the matte finish is gone in several places.
It`s annoying to the point where I don`t want to use it anymore, it`s a shame, new it looked really great.

Edit: Maybe someone know how to get the matte finish back? I have only tried to clean it with soap and a spunch.

View attachment 1723101

Mine has done the same thing. I thought it was from wearing during workouts with resistance bands and the handles rubbing the edges of the solo loop in certain exercises. I’m sure that is part of it, but it seems to be somewhat inherent of these bands.

 

[staggerlee41]

Mine is starting to get some shine to it and an odd marking starting at the corner lug to the center of the band. I think this is happening as when I put it on, it sometimes gets twisted. Whatever, it's a band and made to be worn. I wear it for exercise, working in the yard or whatever. I like the convenience of them, but they are flimsy. I prefer the OG Sport Band better for day to day wear.

 

[techno-Zen]

I liked how these feel but i'll take this to my grave:

The solo loop line is a turd-fest

 

[canyonblue737]

I have the black and the white. The white looks brand new after many, many months. The black seems to have lost some kind of coating and seems to collect more dust/powder on its surface that makes it look a bit more dull. It's subtle, I suspect only I notice and I can clean it with a soft cloth and it looks better but its clearly lost a bit of its look. All in all, now that I have found the correct size, I love them and will likely always buy these moving forward vs. the old Sport Bands. I'm excited for new color choices next week...

 

[toofargone]

I was very happy with my solo loop until the other day. they are very comfortable. This happened just taking it off, so the strap snapped without any warning.

View attachment 1735747

The exact thing happened to me last night. Snapped in pretty much the same place while taking it off. Bummed. I really like this band and will probably just go buy another.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

The exact thing happened to me last night. Snapped in pretty much the same place while taking it off. Bummed. I really like this band and will probably just go buy another.

Out of curiosity, are you a guy? It seems like guys have a bigger hand to wrist ratio and also less ability to fold their hands narrowly. Like for me, I barely have to stretch the band at all to get it on, so I have a hard time imagining this ever happening.

 

[toofargone]

Out of curiosity, are you a guy? It seems like guys have a bigger hand to wrist ratio and also less ability to fold their hands narrowly. Like for me, I barely have to stretch the band at all to get it on, so I have a hard time imagining this ever happening.

Female, with probably average size wrists. I have (had) to stretch it a bit to get it off as it was a fairly snug fit (but comfortable).

Also, I never noticed any small tears or defects. Searching the wider web, I noticed quite a few reports of this happening but many were preceded by a small tear.

 

[Cotypubby]

My solo band was purchased long after my watch, so it was NOT covered by warranty. (The first line support agent was trying to find a way to get me covered.) They finally said they could not replace it, so I asked to have it elevated it to the next level, staying polite but expressing my disappointment in the short lifespan (“I expected so much more from Apple quality”) and warned the manager that they will be seeing a lot more of these complaints pretty soon. They eventually found a way to get a brand new one to me, but the manager needed to get back to me after a few hours before they got it okayed.

I’m surprised you had so much trouble exchanging it for a new one. I recently exchanged the Nike Pride band I had bought last May because it was so difficult to connect to the watch, and they had no issues doing that for me even though it was purchased May 2020! (The new one still has the same problems btw, so that ended up being a useless exchange.)