iPhone 13 mini Really? This is how you get a new battery?

[profmjh]

I’m currently sitting in an Apple Store with the iPhone 13 mini I just bought. It needs a new battery. I made an appointment with a genius to get this done.

They are telling me that all they can do is a diagnostic test. They cannot replace the battery today. I have to come back tomorrow.

It is about a two hour trip to get here and back and it costs about £10 each time.

Is this really the process? It takes two separate visits to the Apple Store to get a new battery?

This is absurd.

 

[Und Eser]

If they had stock, they would have given you a refurb in exchange.

Maybe they've had to order one in from another Apple Store.

I think actual battery swaps that involve dismantling the phone can only be done at certain larger stores where they have the facilities/tech staff.

 

[profmjh]

If they had stock, they would have given you a refurb in exchange.

Maybe they've had to order one in from another Apple Store.

I think actual battery swaps that involve dismantling the phone can only be done at certain larger stores where they have the facilities/tech staff.

They do have stock. But Genius Bar appointments and repair slots are different things, apparently. I was not told this when I called Apple and made the appointment.

This is crushing waste of time. And ludicrously inefficient. Also, the geniuses really don’t care.

 

[Und Eser]

They do have stock. But Genius Bar appointments and repair slots are different things, apparently. I was not told this when I called Apple and made the appointment.

This is crushing waste of time. And ludicrously inefficient. Also, the geniuses really don’t care.

Sorry you're going through that, frustrating to say the least!

Sadly not surprised by your experience with the geniuses though. Making sure mere customers "know their place" seems to have become the standard level of customer service since the pandemic and Apple have always had the business model anyway of turning consumers into grateful sycophants only too happy to be told what they are and are not getting for their hard-earned.

Hope you get it sorted.

 

[ghanwani]

Yes this is how the store operates since the Burberry lady reorganized everything.

But have you noticed how well $AAPL stock has done?

Stop worrying about battery service and go buy some $AAPL!

 

[Andeddu]

Booked my 6S, OGSE, 8 and 13 for battery services and Apple changed each of them on the same day with only a 1-1.5 hour wait.

 

[Bigwaff]

Booked my 6S, OGSE, 8 and 13 for battery services and Apple changed each of them on the same day with only a 1-1.5 hour wait.

Why would you pay to have out of warranty battery replacement for those three ancient devices? Especially at Apple battery replacement cost?

 

[Macdctr]

This is why I learned how to perform my own battery replacement service for my 13 mini and other iPhones I own rather than relying on Apple to do this. For one thing, I know the quality of work performed and have the satisfaction of installing either a DESAY or SUNWODA high capacity diagnostic compatible battery which have consistently provided my devices with 105% battery health.

So far since performing my own battery services on my iPhones, especially my Green 13 mini, I haven’t had any issues using them.

 

[Mrbobb]

Sounds like u made an appointment for general consultation, rather than for specific battery replacement. I have done this twice for specific battery service but of course I am in urban San Francisco Bay if that makes a difference.

Once I was explained by a third-party repair shop, a generic battery may not mimic the functionality of a genuine Apple battery correctly, I encountered such discrepancy on my Mac Air with a generic and it does not track the cycle count correctly. I attempted to change the battery on a SE1 and messed it up, the way Apple glues the battery on iphone is a travesty, u break the "tape" and now you gotta mess on your hands, that's why I let Apple do it, and I am no regular Joe, I have a 2 years electronics certificate.

 

[valinda]

I feel for you. Two hour drive. That sucks. I have had a few battery replacements at the Apple Store, but they have always done mine the same day. I usually wait 1 hour or so.

 

[zhtfreak]

similar but not quite the same experience replacing the battery in my 15 Pro last month. I waffled back and forth on a new iPhone or a battery replacement, eventually choosing to just keep my 15 Pro with a fresh battery. They didn't have any in stock, but of course called me about 45 minutes after I got home and told me they got some in. So I had to spend another $30-ish to Uber it back the next day.

 

[profmjh]

Sounds like u made an appointment for general consultation

I called Apple first. They did a remote diagnostic test, determined I needed a new battery and booked the appointment. Which I therefore assumed was for the replacement itself.

The Apple Store ignored all of that, did their own diagnostic test, determined I needed a new battery and said they couldn’t install one until the next day and I’d have to come back. They were aggressively uninterested in the inconvenience to me of this.

I have submitted a formal complaint about it. Will be interesting to see how Apple handles it.

 

[Abazigal]

I have been quoted a 4 hour wait before to have my phone battery replaced. Sometimes the store is just that swamped with customers. An appointment is just that - an appointment (as anyone who has been to a hospital for a checkup can relate).