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iPhone vs. Recliner: Recliner wins

K

kwarren

Guest
Original poster
Aug 18, 2007
219
0
My barely month-old iPhone met its end last night in the home theater.

Unbeknownst to me, the phone slipped out of my pocket and down between the cushion and side of the recliner. At the end of the movie, I had a little trouble pushing in the footrest. However, after a few increasingly enthusiastic shoves, I was able to snap the footrest back into place. After a few minutes, I noticed my iPhone was missing. Upon searching the chair, I discovered the phone underneath the recliner with part of the lower half shattered, but it still worked. I had repeatedly crunched my phone in the metal mechanism of the recliner.

Luckily, the folks at my local Apple store were kind enough to send me a new 8GB iPhone for free.

Digg link:

http://www.digg.com/apple/iPhone_vs_Recliner_Recliner_wins/

Flickr link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11720468@N04/sets/72157601535071614/
 
Wow, you destroyed your own iPhone and they replaced it??? I'd say you are incredibly lucky. I can't believe it still worked. When I read the title of your thread, I thought you meant you had $600 to spend and decided you needed a recliner more. :) Anyway, good story all around. I really worry that someday I'm going to forget it in my pocket and run it throught the wash, that would be heartbreaking.
 
After reading your post i checked to make sure my iPhone is still in my pocket while i sit in my recliner. Apple is nice to replace your iPhone free of charge:D
 
HiRez said:
When I read the title of your thread, I thought you meant you had $600 to spend and decided you needed a recliner more. :)
Click to expand...

When I read the title of the thread, I thought there was some new, competing product called a "recliner" that I hadn't heard of that was somehow superior to the iPhone! "Recliner?" Could be -- there are some pretty crazy product names out there... Wonder what OS it uses?

Sorry to hear about your mishap; glad you got your phone replaced.
 
I went to the Apple Store (which was PACKED) and had to make an appointment to see the Mac Genius. I straight-out told him the truth, and asked if there was anything he could do for me. He was impressed that I told the truth, and intrigued by the method of destruction. When he told me that he’d simply replace it, I was flabbergasted. He said they have a lot of latitude when deciding how to handle a situation like this. If the customer is a jerk or definitely lying, they tend to go by the letter of the law. If the customer is polite and truthful, they tend to do whatever they can to ameliorate the situation. He said he was so tired of customers coming to him and saying, “it just stopped working”, and then upon inspection discovering a dripping wet SIM card.

The Mac Genius added that Apple is really pleased with the iPhone’s launch and wants customers to have very positive experiences which will in turn engender brand loyalty. He added that their breadth of their carte blanche regarding iPhone replacements will likely be curbed in the coming months..
 
/cry! :eek:

Glad you got it replaced free though, that would have been one helluva repair bill. :p
 
That is amazing that they replaced it. After all the complaints we tend to hear in these forums, this is astounding. Kudos to Apple!:)
 
hey if you still have that old iphone, i also wouldn't mind taking it off your hands ill pay shipping.
 
Why would the Apple store not take the broken iPhone? Cmon people, get real.
 
Great post, attitude is everything. If the apple guy and a customer can relate that is much better for the customer than if he is rude, aggressive and offensive. The employee didn't make the phone. But he can bend the rules.
 
megfilmworks said:
Great post, attitude is everything. If the apple guy and a customer can relate that is much better for the customer than if he is rude, aggressive and offensive. The employee didn't make the phone. But he can bend the rules.
Click to expand...

Attitude is king when dealing with customer service. Too many people are under the impression that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. More times than not, being pleasant and respectful will get you what you want.
 
Well since the iPhone still worked, I'd say the iPhone won. I did not believe that they are replacing it at no cost until I saw your genius bar invoice. What are you Derren Brown or something.:eek:
 
I want to clear something up: I had to give my crushed iPhone to the Mac Genius who in turn was going to send it to Apple. My new iPhone is actually being sent to me and I should have it this Friday. Yes, I was extremely lucky and am eternally grateful because my royal screwup was in no way their fault. If there’s a better way to foster brand loyalty, I don’t know what it is. Thanks, Apple!!!
 
Honestly, you just can't imagine why any company would replace such a device for free when the damage was clearly the result of user negligence. It would be like calling Honda and demanding a new car when you rear end someone with your Accord, e.g.

I bet Apple has a HUGE inventory of unsold iPhones, and they know that they won't be able to sell them all before the next iPhone revision. They'd rather give away repalcements for free, eliminating their inventory and making customers happy, then to have to destroy unsold stock when the revision 2 comes out.
 
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