WARNING about Apple Service

[kryptticAZ]

I sent my Series 5 White Ceramic Apple Watch in for a battery replacement and somebody at Apple or UPS stole it and replaced it with a cheaper, beat up S3 Aluminum watch and mailed that back to me. I wrote a letter to Tim Cook and a member of their executive relations team got back to me to say that during their investigation, UPS admitted responsibility and Apple would like to replace my missing watch with a new one. However, they only offered a base model Aluminum watch (priced at $529), when the one I sent in was originally valued at ~$1300 + tax. I politely followed up with a suggestion that they should replace my stolen watch with a model of comparable value. A friend of mine recently had his S5 Ceramic replaced via Apple Care and they put an ~$1400 charge on their credit card to secure the advance replacement, so this is a replacement value from Apple themselves.

Today, I received a follow-up call that Apple changed their mind and won’t compensate me at all. They also refuse to put anything in writing and I have no recourse with UPS because Apple is the company I paid for the shipping label and package to ship the watch to them for service. That means only Apple can file an insurance claim and UPS won’t even talk to me because I’m not their “customer” here.

This is the short version of the story. I'm happy to provide further details if anyone is interested. But I just wanted to warn the community that If you are sending in a watch (or anything) to Apple for service, you have ZERO recourse if the shipping company or Apple decides to steal your item. I even have photos of the watch, packaging, and receipts from every step of the process but it didn't matter.

I'm certainly not going to file an homeowners claim for something like this since the deductible is too high and it's not worth the risk of a rate increase or non-renewal. However, now my favorite watch has been stolen from me and my confidence in Apple is completely broken. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. Now I have to figure out what (if anything) to do next…

 

[Vangeli]

Simply despicable. I always go through a store for things like this, as they’re responsible when everything inevitably gets messed up by carriers. Those ceramic watches are an ever rarer work of art and it’s a shame they’re not even trying to make this right for you. I wonder what kind of pressure it would take for them to change their tune.

Your ceramic watch ended up somewhere, so I recommend never removing it from your account so whoever has it is unable to use it at the very least.

 

[jz0309]

Go to small claims court, be reasonable what you ask for, eg you won't get your original value for a 5 yr old watch

 

[kryptticAZ]

Simply despicable. I always go through a store for things like this, as they’re responsible when everything inevitably gets messed up by carriers. Those ceramic watches are an ever rarer work of art and it’s a shame they’re not even trying to make this right for you. I wonder what kind of pressure it would take for them to change their tune.

Your ceramic watch ended up somewhere, so I recommend never removing it from your account so whoever has it is unable to use it at the very least.

Since Apple requires you to remove 'Find My' before shipping to them, it can't even be tracked either. I will keep it tied to my account so it's activation locked, but that doesn't really benefit me in any way.

 

[Apple_Robert]

In my opinion, you should have taken the original offer. Expecting a value of $1300 for an old used watch is unrealistic. Apple made a good faith offer to you.

 

[tom2517]

In my opinion, you should have taken the original offer. Expecting a value of $1300 for an old used watch is unrealistic. Apple made a good faith offer to you.

Yeah sadly to say a lot of companies will at most compensate for what they think the current value is, not what you paid for it.

 

[kryptticAZ]

In my opinion, you should have taken the original offer. Expecting a value of $1300 for an old used watch is unrealistic. Apple made a good faith offer to you.

If that's the case, then why do they charge $1300 for the same watch (as a credit card hold) when they do a service replacement? I didn't pull that number out of my ***, it's directly from them. And I didn't yell and scream about expecting more compensation, they just rescinded the offer when I posed the question. That's not "good faith."

 

[Apple_Robert]

If that's the case, then why do they charge $1300 for the same watch (as a credit card hold) when they do a service replacement? I didn't pull that number out of my ***, it's directly from them. And I didn't yell and scream about expecting more compensation, they just rescinded the offer when I posed the question. That's not "good faith."

Your watch wasn't under aC+ coverage. That is the defining factor. I am guessing the reason why Apple rescinded the offer is that they may have felt you were being unreasonable and looking for compensation that was not equitable.

Granted, I am going off what you have shared but, I don't see that Apple did you wrong. They tried to make you whole in the same way car or house insurance would and you scoffed. Lesson learned.

 

[kryptticAZ]

Your watch wasn't under aC+ coverage. That is the defining factor. I am guessing the reason why Apple rescinded the offer is that they may have felt you were being unreasonable and looking for compensation that was not equitable.

Granted, I am going off what you have shared but, I don't see that Apple did you wrong. They tried to make you whole in the same way car or house insurance would and you scoffed. Lesson learned.

That's an interesting take. I don't agree with it, but I do appreciate you sharing it.

I don't think an Aluminum watch is an equivalent replacement for a Ceramic Edition Watch--even an older model. I got the sense from talking to the rep that she didn't know what a White Ceramic Edition watch was so she just offered up an Al watch by default. Nevertheless, rescinding an offer just because I asked the question (politely, I should add) is a rather asinine position to take. She could have simply said "no." I have no need for an Al watch anyway... and certainly not as a substitute for the unique item that was stolen while in Apple/UPS custody.

I actually don't know if they rescinded the offer because I wasn't happy with it or because they got another update from UPS. I have no way of knowing, and she wouldn't tell me anything further. I do know that if UPS admitted fault (which she said they did), then Apple can file a claim for loss. Presuming they can then file a claim for $1300, which they can substantiate with their own price list, and then offer the original owner (me) a $529 replacement (which costs them much less than that) certainly doesn't equate to a "good faith gesture."

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Wait, I’m confused, so you sent them a Series 5 watch (which hasn’t been sold by Apple in over five years and hasn’t had the last two major software revisions), they offered to replace it with a brand new watch (I’m assuming a Series 11) and you just said… “nah it’s not ceramic, it’s no good”?
Yeah, sorry, I’m finding it hard to feel bad for you. They literally offered you a watch that’s 6 generations newer basically for nothing.
I’m not sure what else you were expecting them to do, the product was discontinued five years ago and the ceramic version already sold in limited quantities. Do you expect them to have just a warehouse stacked full of them?
It’s literally like going to Apple with an iPhone XS and them offering to replace it with a 17 and you saying “no, my XS was the gold color in the 17 doesn’t come in gold, it’s no good.
At worst, you could have accepted the offer then sold the new watch, having $500 or so in your pocket, way more than that ceramic watch was ever worth.
A good lesson for the OP and a lesson apple has seemed to learn in the years since, tech products do not make good jewelry. They do not increase in value and usefulness overtime, the solid gold Apple Watch series 0s are just as dead today as the aluminum ones.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I don't think an Aluminum watch is an equivalent replacement for a Ceramic Edition Watch--even an older model.

Except we are talking about tech products, not jewelry. They do not increase in value.
Just having a look around on all of the big used websites it appears that restored ceramic Apple Watch Series 5s go for somewhere between $350 and $550, so I would say that apples offer of a brand new 2025 watch that’s worth $529 today was perfectly in reason.
Of course they were never going to give you an equivalent $1400 watch for a six years old watch, they don’t let people with 2019 MacBook Pros get 2025 Macs for free and they certainly aren’t going to offer you a brand new watch from six years ago that they don’t even make anymore.
I would even say that the offer of a brand new watch coming from Apple is extremely generous, certainly more generous than I would have expected.
If anything, you are lucky they didn’t offer you just a $100 Apple gift card or similar…

 

[JPack]

Always read the terms and conditions being sending your stuff in.

If you read it, you’ll realize Apple is the sole determinant of what you sent in and you are fully responsible for what happens until Apple claims receipt for your device. This applies to trade-in and service.

Given this, I’m surprised so many people are willing to mail stuff in rather than visit a store.

 

[chmania]

I sent my Series 5 White Ceramic Apple Watch in for a battery replacement and somebody at Apple or UPS stole it and replaced it with a cheaper, beat up S3 Aluminum watch and mailed that back to me. I wrote a letter to Tim Cook and a member of their executive relations team got back to me to say that during their investigation, UPS admitted responsibility and Apple would like to replace my missing watch with a new one. However, they only offered a base model Aluminum watch (priced at $529), when the one I sent in was originally valued at ~$1300 + tax. I politely followed up with a suggestion that they should replace my stolen watch with a model of comparable value. A friend of mine recently had his S5 Ceramic replaced via Apple Care and they put an ~$1400 charge on their credit card to secure the advance replacement, so this is a replacement value from Apple themselves.

Today, I received a follow-up call that Apple changed their mind and won’t compensate me at all. They also refuse to put anything in writing and I have no recourse with UPS because Apple is the company I paid for the shipping label and package to ship the watch to them for service. That means only Apple can file an insurance claim and UPS won’t even talk to me because I’m not their “customer” here.

This is the short version of the story. I'm happy to provide further details if anyone is interested. But I just wanted to warn the community that If you are sending in a watch (or anything) to Apple for service, you have ZERO recourse if the shipping company or Apple decides to steal your item. I even have photos of the watch, packaging, and receipts from every step of the process but it didn't matter.

I'm certainly not going to file an homeowners claim for something like this since the deductible is too high and it's not worth the risk of a rate increase or non-renewal. However, now my favorite watch has been stolen from me and my confidence in Apple is completely broken. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. Now I have to figure out what (if anything) to do next…

Did you contact Apple Support before sending it for repair? Did Apple Support arrange the service and send you a shipping kit with a return label? Or at least provide the label by email, or a code for the courier?

 

[kryptticAZ]

Yes, Apple provided the shipping label and box. I used these and dropped off the package at the UPS Store.

 

[kryptticAZ]

Except we are talking about tech products, not jewelry. They do not increase in value.
Just having a look around on all of the big used websites it appears that restored ceramic Apple Watch Series 5s go for somewhere between $350 and $550, so I would say that apples offer of a brand new 2025 watch that’s worth $529 today was perfectly in reason.
Of course they were never going to give you an equivalent $1400 watch for a six years old watch, they don’t let people with 2019 MacBook Pros get 2025 Macs for free and they certainly aren’t going to offer you a brand new watch from six years ago that they don’t even make anymore.
I would even say that the offer of a brand new watch coming from Apple is extremely generous, certainly more generous than I would have expected.
If anything, you are lucky they didn’t offer you just a $100 Apple gift card or similar…

A friend of mine recently had their Ceramic S5 replaced by Apple care. Apple put a $1300 + tax hold on their credit card until the original unit was returned, so that is the value that Apple themselves attribute to this model.

 

[kryptticAZ]

Wait, I’m confused, so you sent them a Series 5 watch (which hasn’t been sold by Apple in over five years and hasn’t had the last two major software revisions), they offered to replace it with a brand new watch (I’m assuming a Series 11) and you just said… “nah it’s not ceramic, it’s no good”?
Yeah, sorry, I’m finding it hard to feel bad for you. They literally offered you a watch that’s 6 generations newer basically for nothing.
I’m not sure what else you were expecting them to do, the product was discontinued five years ago and the ceramic version already sold in limited quantities. Do you expect them to have just a warehouse stacked full of them?
It’s literally like going to Apple with an iPhone XS and them offering to replace it with a 17 and you saying “no, my XS was the gold color in the 17 doesn’t come in gold, it’s no good.
At worst, you could have accepted the offer then sold the new watch, having $500 or so in your pocket, way more than that ceramic watch was ever worth.
A good lesson for the OP and a lesson apple has seemed to learn in the years since, tech products do not make good jewelry. They do not increase in value and usefulness overtime, the solid gold Apple Watch series 0s are just as dead today as the aluminum ones.

This model has not been put on the obsolete list yet, and people are still paying for AppleCare on it. As such, Apple (should) still have replacement units available. If they don't, then they never should have accepted this unit for battery service in the first place. As of about two months ago, people have reported getting replacements of this model directly from Apple, so apparently yes, they do (or at least did) have them in a warehouse. I get your point about a $500 replacement. But why should it be on me to accept a watch that I don't want/need and sell it to someone to recoup the loss? And if Apple doesn't value this model at $1300, then why is that what they charge others (as recently as a few months ago) that amount for a replacement?

Anyway, I don't think it's the replacement value that caused Apple to rescind their offer. If it was, I would think the rep would just tell me that the Al model is the best they can do, rather than offer nothing. I think they changed their mind based on something UPS told them. Unfortunately, the rep wouldn't give me any details.

Apple provided the shipping label and packaging, I used their required shipping provider to drop off the package, and my watch was stolen in their custody. Since they require you to disable 'Find My' before shipment, I also have no way of tracking where the watch ended up. Apple and UPS then completed their own internal investigation as if they were the ones that lost property and won't share the results of that investigation with me. The system is clearly broken.

 

[kryptticAZ]

Always read the terms and conditions being sending your stuff in.

If you read it, you’ll realize Apple is the sole determinant of what you sent in and you are fully responsible for what happens until Apple claims receipt for your device. This applies to trade-in and service.

Given this, I’m surprised so many people are willing to mail stuff in rather than visit a store.

Good point. I will keep this in mind when (if) I ever need service again. I foolishly thought that Apple and UPS were trustworthy and any loss would be properly covered since Apple provided the service, label, and box.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

A friend of mine recently had their Ceramic S5 replaced by Apple care. Apple put a $1300 + tax hold on their credit card until the original unit was returned, so that is the value that Apple themselves attribute to this model.

Okay… and?
That’s how much the watch cost at release, not what it is worth today.
It’s very possible that the series 5, which was discontinued back in September 2020, is now on Apple‘s vintage list meaning that they don’t have any replacements left. Apple considers a device vintage five years after they have stopped distributing it, which in the case of the series 5 would have been last month.
Your friend just may have squeezed into the window when you didn’t, and that’s a shame.

Either way, you should have just accepted the brand new watch. That is literally the most generous I have ever heard of Apple being with insurance, providing you with a brand new six generations newer model. I’m not sure what else you expected them to do. They basically offered you a free upgrade from the series 5 to the 11, and you said “no thanks”.

 

[MBAir2010]

But I just wanted to warn the community that If you are sending in a watch (or anything) to Apple for service, you have ZERO recourse if the shipping company or Apple decides to steal your item.

yup, same here! I guess the  watch can't be repaired by a human so they screw us on the service!

 

[chmania]

Yes, Apple provided the shipping label and box. I used these and dropped off the package at the UPS Store.

OK, did you receive a confirmation receipt from the UPS Store? Also, did you get a message on your phone or in your email? If you have those, contact Apple Support again and again until they resolve the matter with you. They will call you. It doesn't matter how many times someone tries to con you on this—keep reaching out to Apple Support. Writing to Tim Cook is absolutely useless.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

This model has not been put on the obsolete list yet, and people are still paying for AppleCare on it. As such, Apple (should) still have replacement units available. If they don't, then they never should have accepted this unit for battery service in the first place. As of about two months ago, people have reported getting replacements of this model directly from Apple, so apparently yes, they do (or at least did) have them in a warehouse. I get your point about a $500 replacement. But why should it be on me to accept a watch that I don't want/need and sell it to someone to recoup the loss? And if Apple doesn't value this model at $1300, then why is that what they charge others (as recently as a few months ago) that amount for a replacement?

The actual list doesn’t matter, obsolete just means when Apple stopped distributing it five years ago.
it stopped being sold from Apple in September 2020, which was five years ago last month.
A couple months ago when your friend got his replacement, it hadn’t been five years. It has now. That’s the difference.
As someone earlier said, read the terms and conditions. I’m sorry to say I don’t think you’re going to get much sympathy here. As annoying as it is, Apple basically gave you a free upgrade and you said no.
They don’t make ceramic watches anymore, yours stopped being distributed over five years ago, so going straight off of their terms and conditions They basically did the most generous thing they are able to do.
I have literally never heard of Apple just giving people free upgrades for their troubles, you were lucky.

 

[kryptticAZ]

Okay… and?
That’s how much the watch cost at release, not what it is worth today.
It’s very possible that the series 5, which was discontinued back in September 2020, is now on Apple‘s vintage list meaning that they don’t have any replacements left. Apple considers a device vintage five years after they have stopped distributing it, which in the case of the series 5 would have been last month.
Your friend just may have squeezed into the window when you didn’t, and that’s a shame.

Either way, you should have just accepted the brand new watch. That is literally the most generous I have ever heard of Apple being with insurance, providing you with a brand new six generations newer model. I’m not sure what else you expected them to do. They basically offered you a free upgrade from the series 5 to the 11, and you said “no thanks”.

I don't consider an Aluminum S11 to be an "upgrade" from a S5 White Ceramic Edition. I also have no use for an Al watch, as I own two S10 Titaniums and two Ultra 3's. I had a Ceramic as my 5th watch (the limit you can pair at one time) due to its uniqueness and beauty.

And again, all I did was make a polite inquiry into how this would be an equivalent replacement. If Apple took exception to the value then they could have simply told me this is the best they can offer. Instead, they rescinded and offered nothing. In the last phone call I had with them, the rep stated that they had "additional information from their investigation" and was very terse. As such, I'm wondering if they changed their mind based on something UPS told them. Since they won't provide ANY details, all I can do is speculate.

Thank you for your comments, BTW. I do appreciate hearing the different viewpoints.

 

[kryptticAZ]

OK, did you receive a confirmation receipt from the UPS Store? Also, did you get a message on your phone or in your email? If you have those, contact Apple Support again and again until they resolve the matter with you. They will call you. It doesn't matter how many times someone tries to con you on this—keep reaching out to Apple Support. Writing to Tim Cook is absolutely useless.

I started with Apple support and two hours on the phone. They told me there was nothing they could do. That's why I wrote to Tim Cook next, and a member of their executive team called me the following week. There is nothing else I can do to escalate this with Apple now.

Yes, I have a receipt from the UPS store. I dropped if off in person and have a physical receipt. The issue is that Apple claims that the watch they received is not the one I claimed to have sent. Someone swapped it on the way to the service center or on the way back.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I don't consider an Aluminum S11 to be an "upgrade" from a S5 White Ceramic Edition. I had a Ceramic as my 5th watch (the limit you can pair at one time) due to its uniqueness and beauty.

Respectfully, it sounds like you learned the exact same lesson Apple did with the ceramic and solid gold watches, which is that smart devices do not make good jewelry.
They degrade, they get old, they lose all of their value, they stop being supported by the company.
I am not saying that it’s right, it’s how things are. People who bought the $17,000 rose gold Apple Watch on release are treated the same.

 

[weather34]

you quote UPS admitted responsibility Apple offered you a new watch yet your post title literally puts apple at fault . sorry but reality is you were offered a good replacement and an amicable solution which in a matter of days would have been resolved now try and get a fast response and an amicable solution in a short time from UPS who you quote admitted responsibility.quite frankly i would have accepted the offer of a new watch and learned a lesson in shipping small consumable items via UPS.