Phone is breaking from my daily use, and recourse?

[gotzero]

I got a 4GB model when they first came out to replace my Blackberry 8700c. After daily use, it is now starting to freeze, turn off, and sometimes I can see the LC getting pushed when I used the touch screen.

Obviously, something is not well with the phone, after reading the Apple warrantly, I am wondering if I should ever bother trying to have it repaired.

It has noticable dings in several places on the aluminum, and I am just not sure I would be able to sit through a teenage "genius" being completely unhelpful and telling me I was "abusing" my phone by using it everyday (including falls, etc, that happen to every cell phone).

So, those of you that have had hardware issues caused by use, do I have any hope of working out a free repair/replacement, or will they tell me my warranty is done for, and I should just dive in the phone and fix what is wrong?

P.S. - No, I did not use a phone case. I have never had a case for any phone, and it defeats the entire purpose of a small form factor. Also, please do not tell me to get applecare, as damage is already done, and it does not cover what I am going to call "daily use" anyway...

 

[jecapaga]

I got a 4GB model when they first came out to replace my Blackberry 8700c. After daily use, it is now starting to freeze, turn off, and sometimes I can see the LC getting pushed when I used the touch screen.

Obviously, something is not well with the phone, after reading the Apple warrantly, I am wondering if I should ever bother trying to have it repaired.

It has noticable dings in several places on the aluminum, and I am just not sure I would be able to sit through a teenage "genius" being completely unhelpful and telling me I was "abusing" my phone by using it everyday (including falls, etc, that happen to every cell phone).

So, those of you that have had hardware issues caused by use, do I have any hope of working out a free repair/replacement, or will they tell me my warranty is done for, and I should just dive in the phone and fix what is wrong?

P.S. - No, I did not use a phone case. I have never had a case for any phone, and it defeats the entire purpose of a small form factor. Also, please do not tell me to get applecare, as damage is already done, and it does not cover what I am going to call "daily use" anyway...

I would just call the folks at apple rather than deal with a teenage genius physically inspecting your phone. If it doesn't work like you say he'll be giving you a replacement phone just like apple would send you in the mail. I think mailing your original phone your odds are better than getting rejected at the store.

 

[unity]

What he said, call it in and get a replacement but you could try a store first, faster turn around. If you get shot down then call.

 

[UMHurricanes34]

Got my first phone the day they launched, it died over time from normal use as well. Started freezing 4 times a day on average, never had a single problem with it until then. Got it replaced no problem, second phone had the negative black issue, this third one is okay but it has it's quirks..Worries me that what was a $600 phone died from normal use in just over a couple months...

 

[ibwb]

What makes you think your problems were caused by the occasional impact? Lots of people on here have dropped their phones and haven't had any problems. And (just like with any product) some people have received defective phones that developed problems no matter what they did.

It just seems like you're trying to justify your use of the phone for no reason. Every warranty has the same disclaimer for abuse/neglect, but it's really unlikely that a ding here and there is the cause of your problem. Some percentage of electronics sold have defects that will only become apparent after they've been out of the factory for a while. That's why we have warranties in the first place.

 

[megfilmworks]

I've dropped my phone several times, even kicked it across the floor after one drop, and I have never had a case or protector.
I don't have any dings or scratches and everything is still like new.
(bought iDay).
I'm either very lucky or you are not using everyday common sense with a sophisticated piece of electronics.
Or your phone is defective and should be replaced.

 

[chr1s60]

Two things. First, I have dropped my phone about 5 or 6 times. Most times with a case, but once or twice without a case. I have not had any hardware issues or freezing issues after dropping it. This leads me to believe you have a defect in your phone.

Second, I would recommend taking it to the Apple store and if they refuse to exchange then call Apple and try them. My friend recently had an issue with freezing on his iPhone and I went with him to the Genius Bar when he had it looked at. The first thing I noticed is that the genius takes any case off and looks for marks on the phone that show it may have been damaged in a bad drop. My friend had a few scratches on his, but the genius did not say anything about them. They only asked if he had tried a restore and made sure the phone was up to date with the latest firmware. After that he simply exchanged the phone. So as long as your phone does not have a huge dent in it or a broken screen, I think you will be ok at your local Apple store. At this point I think Apple is still very lenient on taking exchanges because they are interested in seeing every issue that people are having so they can fix them for a iPhone V2.

 

[gotzero]

I went in, and pled my case to an extremely competent and nice genius (I figured I bought in the store, I would replace in the store). I will be shooting straight for this employee and ignoring anyone else in the store from now on. I hope they get commission too...

He was playing with it, thankfully it was screwing up left and right, so it was obvious there was a problem. He was getting all ready to replace it and then some form of supervisor came over, grabbed it, and started lecturing me about abuse (here we go...).

In a really nasty tone from the get-go, I am getting interrogated about what horrors I could have possibly put my phone through. Did I sit on it? (no), did I ever drop it? (obviously, it is a phone...), how often did I use it? (umm, a lot... it is breaking after like 90 days...), etc. She feels the back, and tells me that because the aluminum is not flush with the plastic that I obviously hit it very hard. Honestly, it was probably like that two hours after I got it, just from being in a pocket, etc.

Anyway, she writes something up forever (probably on my apple permanent record about what a horrible user I am, lol) on the computer, and then tells me it will be $200 for a "damage" replacement (for a phone that was at last count $300 anyway...).

At this point, I am livid, because this is going exactly as I feared. I tried fighting that to no avail, and then ponied up, because $200 for a working phone is better than $0 for a non-working one. I told her that I was very disappointed in the phone quality and my experience, and that I would probably resell it and switch back to the perfectly good blackberry I ditched to get the iphone. To add insult to injury, they go back, bring out a refurb box, and take out a 4GB iphone. I managed, somehow, not to make a smartass comment about how if I am first to bring one back unworking then why do they have a refurb staple of a product they no longer sell in the store...

I am considering ebaying it and going back to my blackberry. We'll see. I have a prototype era fingerworks keyboard that I have beaten on since I was an undergrad worshiping Elias and Westerman, which has never shown a sign of wear. I can't help but feel like quality control has shot downwards now that they work for the big dog...

The iphone is fantastic, and I am happy to give into the shortcomings (at least until the SDK) in exchange for the wonderful things I can do with the device, but my Apple faith has been seriously challenged.

My iphone cost tally:

June: $500
September: $400
October: $600

I guess it is as volatile as APPL...

 

[Jocko]

Funny how that self fulfilling prophecy thing works, eh?

 

[calvy]

I wouldn't have paid them 200 bucks for the refurb, I would have walked out and called the apple hotline. But maybe you can still call them and get them to rectify the situation somehow. I would. And I agree, just because I've put the thing through some use does not mean it should start malfunctioning in 90 days. Sure, it's going to look beat up, but that has nothing to do with function.

 

[DeaconGraves]

Wow...

that is awful.

I'm pretty certain from now on I am NEVER dealing with people in the Apple Store, incovnenience of mailing my product out be damned.

I do understand in certain cases people are being extra picky about cosmetic issues and that can be obnoxious to deal with, but that you were treated this way in a ligitimate case is ridiculous.

 

[gotzero]

I do not feel like I was trying to predetermine my outcome, I just felt like it was a realistic probability...

Honestly, for anything else i would send it in, but I really need my phone every day, so I felt kind of stuck. I am afraid to put the SIM in my blackberry for fear that I would get charged the per kb rate for blackberry service.

I may try and call Apple, but I figure I am probably out of luck since I accepted the repair. I do think I will simply stop shopping at my local (DE) apple store though, because I continuously get promised the world when I am buying, and then get treated like a nightmere customer every time I ask for support or service.

I think more than anything else it is the emplyee attitudes that get me. The superiority and authority coupled with general cluelessness is stunning in that store, but sadly i love their parent company's products...