Iphone SE woes

[amack]

I'll try and keep this brief and see if anyone out there can help?

• Wife bought an iPhone SE from apple webstore in April 2017.
• Beginning of August the phone wouldn't charge. I noticed one of the gold pins on the firewire had gone black.
• Booked an appointment with apple store 'genius' who pointed out the pin inside was damaged "due to erosion" (his words not mine) and the "copper" had eroded on the firewire cable, said it it had suffered from moisture damage but didn't do a water test. Said it cost £249 to replace, didn't offer to replace the firewire cable either.
• His report noted that there was no damage to the phone.
• Didn't like it so sent it off for repair through the apple website, never heard anything for nearly two weeks and had to contact apple to find out if they had (a) received the phone and (b) done anything with it.
• Apple said that it had been returned to my wife and that there was damage to the phone that would cost to repair but they couldn't tell us what as there was no record of the details.
• When we eventually got the back (over 2 weeks after sending it) the phone's screen doesn't function, there are vertical lines on the screen and most bizarrely of all when you turn the phone on you can't switch it off at all or reset or anything it just hangs on the white "hello" screen.
• Apple are now saying we damaged or damaged it through poor packaging ( we used their packaging properly) and they will (begrudgingly) have another look at but it will cost us to repair.

Any ideas? I can provide more details if I've left anything out, thanks!

 

[Audit13]

Maybe escalate the matter?

Did you take any pictures before it was sent away?

They accepted it for warranty repair or possible warranty repair via the website? I'm surprised that apple didn't contact you to discuss an out-of-warranty repair instead of just packing it up and sending it back to you with no explanation.

 

[amack]

When we were in the Apple Store the printed out report stated that there was no evidence of physical damage but that there was a broken pin on the inside of the phone due to "erosion"

Didn't take any pictures before it went away unfortunately but we have been dealing with someone a bit further up-no idea how far-and I sent a video to them of the phone not turning off or even resetting. They told us the engineers just looked at the phone and saw the pin damage and packed the phone up and sent it back to us as we didn't reply to any emails requesting for a decision to pay for repair or send it back. My wife never received any emails, even though subsequent emails from apple have even received. Apple, unfortunately, are claiming we damaged the phone on return from apple repair, but there is no physical damage to the phone and yet the screen is unresponsive with vertical greasy lines on it. I even sent a video to apple customer services on the day we received the phone back from apple.

Really gutted after nearly 12 years with Apple and no problems that when I do their customer service is really poor. The guy in the Apple Store in Belfast was dreadful to deal, he hadn't clue.

 

[Audit13]

I feel for you as it comes down to one person's word against another.

Hopefully, apple will offer a solution that will restore their reputation in your eyes.

If your current contract person is not able to offer an acceptable solution, you might consider going right to the president of Apple's local operation.