Beats Studio 3 Cracking

I have the same problem and Apple won't do anything about it. When I started using it, the left side started a tension crack which kept growing whenever I wore them more and more until it snapped. They said that it is not covered by the warranty even though I have gone back and forth with them both in the shop and through the phone arguing about consumer laws and that IT WASN'T an accidental damage since the right side is starting to crack too, and they still said that their decision is final.

The problem now is that Apple still won't acknowledge that this is a latent defect and not an accidental damage. Seeing this thread is obvious that the quality of the plastic fabricated is not durable, which falls under "The goods will be of satisfactory quality" within the UK Consumer Law. What they have done to me definitely does not comply with consumer legislation so I have made a complaint about it. Very dissapointing from Apple. Definitely not paying for the repair when I can get fresh new ones from Argos for less.

This whole business is laughable. My Studio Beats were 2 months out of warranty, I used them maybe once every month if that, they were stored unfolded on a hook above my desk. They cracked in exactly the same place in exactly the same way that the photos on this thread and others show. Exactly. I have a 10 years+ pair of wired Beats which are stored in their case and have travelled all over the world, been literally kicked down an airplane aisle on more than one occasion ... never had a problem with them. I think this issue is a combination of poor design and less robust plastic.

I actually managed to get mine replaced by Apple after the customer service team were extremely rude and dismissive and more or less called me a liar. I wrote to the Beats GM of my region, complaining about the way I was treated, he passed it on to one of his team and I had a replacement pair (plain boxed) within a few weeks. I was pleased with the outcome obviously but it should never have reached that stage. I have sent the person I ended up dealing with a link to this thread. And yes, I do have a larger than average head. That said I am so careful with headphones it's comical.

Not much worry of voiding the warranty when Apple refuses to recognize the manufacture and material defects in these headphones. It doesn't seem to matter if they have warranty remaining or not. The Beats Studio 3s are not holding up and this should be addressed. Apple also continues to intentionally ignore this thread, both ignorant practices.

I've been looking at these Jabra Elite 85h headphones: https://www.jabra.ca/bluetooth-headsets/jabra-elite-85h##100-99030000-02 They seem to get good reviews: https://www.soundguys.com/jabra-elite-85h-review-23477/ and as a bonus they do not consistently fall-the-****-apart. Strange that build quality would be an asset to an expensive pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

Looks like I’m going to be another unsatisfied customer. Called in to Apple care and got the same response as everyone else. $199 to fix a $1 part that wasn’t engineered robustly enough. Mine lasted 1 year and one month. There are replacement parts and fix videos out there. You know it’s an issue when a cottage industry develops to fix it.

Same problem with cracking.

About 2 years old and rarely used but out of warranty.

Spoke to Apple who initially didn’t want to know.

Had the case escalated using the argument that it was a latent defect and covered but the consumer goods act ( I live in the UK).

Agreed to have them collected so they could take a look at them. Sent a box by courier which I sent the defective phones back in.

1 week later a brand new set arrived.

Happy with this service although if I hadn’t been so insistent And stood my ground I’m not sure if I’d got as far.

There is definitely a problem which I don’t know if they’ve addressed with the new models .

My kid has broken 3 of these and is not because he mistreat them. He loves them and use them extremely often (more than I will want) , some of the cracks I have been able to repair myself buying the parts and following instructions, but some others it is impossible since it will requiring removing electronic components from the board, just to replace a hinge. I am done with Beats and we will be looking for new brand better design and same or better sound quality.

I have the exact same issue. I also have a big head (I wear a 7 1/2 hat size, big but not enormous) and both sides of the headphones cracked in the exact same spots after having the headphones since December 2019. I sent them in for repair under the limited warranty and was denied. They asked for $199 USD for the repair cost since this was "customer abuse" even though the damage came from simple widening the headphones to put them on. I told them that many others online reported experiencing this exact issue and this is a design flaw, but they said unless Apple comes forward and starts accepting repairs for this particular reason then they would not cover this under the limited warranty.

I'm extremely disappointed that such an expensive product would break down physically as a result of its intended use so quickly. Currently looking for somewhere where I can submit product feedback about Beats. Hopefully Apple recognizes that they are selling a very faulty product.

So an update on these! I sent them in for repair and when they arrive and were rejected on basis of undisclosed damage - asked them to let me talk to a senior manager. I re-iterated that this was not accidental damage and they had broken from regular use and then told them about this discussion group. The manager was very nice and sorted it out almost immediately after checking out my information - got my replacement beats a few days later :)

I just went through this same problem with mine, same design flaw that they tried to pass off as "accidental damage" and wouldn't be covered under warranty. They asked if I had applecare and that it would be covered. Total garbage that they won't stand behind their products. After persisting and escalating with a senior support person they reluctantly decided to honor the warranty and cover the damage.. Totally frustrating experience! When this new set cracks, I will not be getting another pair of Beats, and will go with BOSE, who definitely stands behind their products..

I have the same issue w/ my beats studio 3 -- it just seems like the plastic became (or always was) extremely brittle.

Just for more information I googled around to see if I could get a replacement part if it would be cheaper.

There's a page here w/ the part in question and youtube videos on how to do the fix --- it's a beast of a repair process, this has got to be a design / engineering / parts flaw in these headphones. (sigh)

https://www.joesge.com/products/beats-by-dre-studio-3-wireless-inside-plastic-panel-parts

Hi,

I thought I'd update you on my headphones.

I drove through to Glasgow after booking an appointment to speak to someone about my headphones. The team member I spoke to was very helpful and showed my headphones to his manager as he said the wording in their Ts and Cs was unclear. He came back and told me that Apple would send them off for repair or replacement, explaining that as they were still under warranty any costs would be covered by Apple.

I received an email later that week to say that my headphones were being replaced and would be ready for collection within a few days. I didn't need to make an appointment to collect them which was great as there weren't any available before the final collection date they gave me.

Having read others' replies to this thread, I was obviously dubious about how Apple would respond, however, I can't fault them. I've had a few issues with other Apple devices which have also been dealt with quickly and without question.

There are clearly issues with these headphones which is ridiculous considering the cost of them and I can appreciate others' frustrations. My advice to anyone with this issue (with the headphones being under warranty) is go into the Apple Store and speak to someone directly. If you're unhappy with the response, ask to speak to a manager.

I hope this helps.

Fin, thank you for your response. Great to hear you got a prompt replacement without Apple resisting. Sadly I predict your replacement headphones will ultimately exhibit the same systemic defect. I am now on my third pair having only bought the original unit last September and do not hold out too much hope for these.

Of greater concern is that the replacements have a document with them which clearly indicates the end date of the original 12month warranty stands. This means if the new replacements that arrived yesterday exhibit the defect after September when they will be only 1 month old I will have no warranty to fall back on.

my advice is do not buy any beats headphones!

Same issue here in South Africa. First it was one side which had a small crack, and I thought maybe I did something wrong. Then today, the other side started cracking. I noticed that the inner adjustment plate pushes against this plastic as you open the cups to put on your head. Istore is giving me a hard time about it claiming it is mechanical damage and my fault. I refuse to accept that, and I’ll show them this thread.

For Christmas, I bought my wife AirPods Pro, and they did not work out of the box. After 2 weeks they eventually replaced them. So disappointed with Apple quality.

If the hinge is not broken, you can easily buy the part in Amazon for about $10.00 and repair them yourself. Problem is when the hinge breaks, then you need to fiddle with folding points and the board to be able to replace the hinges. I am with you this should not happen on $300 headphones and even less this often. This is really a design flaw and Apple and Beats should have take care of this long time ago.

Same thing happened to me, the plastic band cracked at the base on the right side, after regular use close to 3 years, no falling or hitting or impacts on the headphones. It clearly looks like a design issue, the cups are too heavy and too big for the band to withstand the constant outside pressure when wearing them. Luckily I got mine for free with the purchase of a MacBook so I invested about 40 bucks for an original replacement band on eBay, fairly easy to replace, at least Apple didn’t try to prevent their repair like they do with so many of their products. If they break again I will probably donate them and WILL NEVER buy another Beats Solo headphones, this product should have been recalled and all those who paid for the headphones refunded