ipad 7th generation battery replacement

They're swapped out for a battery service, and I believe the current price is $119 plus tax in the United States. Sorry - newer models are $119 and it's apparently $99 for yours. And it is a swap, but at a "battery replacement" price.

It's $249 for "other damage" for the iPad 7th gen, which could mean a diagnostic showed there was some issue or if there's any cosmetic issue such as a bent case or excessive scratches. I've brought in various iPad models for replacement under warranty or battery service and one was rejected for the battery service on the basis that the case was bent. I just got a warranty replacement and they did the same cosmetic check although under warranty an issue with the electronics would have been a covered defect. What they did was lay it flat on a surface and make sure that it was flat, and then give a once over on the cosmetic condition.

If there was nothing else wrong with it other than the battery was depleted, you should have been offered a replacement at that $99 price.

rino193 wrote:

Thank you - there was nothing else wrong with it. No physical damage, and the other issue that came up on the diagnostic that ran in the store was the battery. Can you let me know where (what store) and when you had this done?

Sure. Apple 4th Street in Berkeley, California.

It's pretty simple. There are two prices. The battery replacement price is for out of warranty service if the battery is depleted below 80% and everything looks and works normally. Other damage is for physical damage (in or out of warranty) or for anything else out of warranty. There's no reason to charge that price if everything is intact and functional. I haven't gotten an Apple battery replacement, but my dad got one for his iPad Pro and they just verified that it was intact/working and charged him $99 (it was an older model).

The basic idea of the battery replacement is that exchanged device can be refurbished, although the extent of that is unclear - like new display/case, etc. But no matter what, they'll evaluate exchanged devices and will attempt to salvage working parts to make more refurbs.

Also - AppleCare+ would probably cover accidental damage with a deductible in addition to extending the warranty.

rino193 wrote:

Thank you - this is extremely helpful and exactly what I thought was the case, but very different from my experience today. There was no damage to the iPad. I received a diagnostic email when I was there that said “drained battery”. Under “cosmetic condition” there wasn’t anything stated. And the store manager of the 5th Ave store told me there is no such thing as a $99 battery related replacement.

Can you let me know when you did that at the Berkeley store?

Feels to me the nyc store is playing under different rules.

None of that sounds right. It's true that the only way that Apple "repairs" iPads is to replace. That's always been the way they operated. There are some rumors that there are a few models (like an iPad mini 6) that can have their batteries replaced at an Apple service center and the same device returned, but that's not true for older models.

It should be $99 for you. Maybe go to another store? One issue is that they will everything logged from your previous service though. When I brought an iPad in that had previously been dropped, the tech did that lay flat thing and saw a little warping. He said that would be noted in the file for that device and I wouldn't be able to get a battery replacement service for it any more.

rino193 wrote:

So I just spent about an hour on the phone with someone at the main 1-800 number. Basically what he told me was that the nyc store should have told me that mailing it in would likely have been cheaper and that stores always do the more expensive swap. I told him that this was never told to me and when I went back to the store and asked the nyc store manager point blank “would mailing it in be cheaper” he said “no”. I also mentioned your reply of your experience at the Berkeley store and he told me this was inconsistent with how it normally goes. The gentleman on the phone also told me that that store was wrong and had misled me by not giving me options to have it shipped in for repair. I asked for a refund for the difference but all he can offer is some free accessory product. He recommended I go back to the store and explain this to the manager again what I heard corporate tell me. So o will do this but have a feeling it will get me nowhere so I will call my credit card company to dispute the charge.

We are a huge and very loyal Apple family and have always loved their products and services but this leaves a terrible taste on my mouth.

That makes no sense, but I haven't actually done the battery service myself. My dad got his battery service exchange at an Apple Store (I believe the one in Berkeley) and they even helped him transfer the contents to the new iPad. He's never done a backup before, so he definitely needed that.

That's the way they do battery service and a lot of people like it because it's close to getting a new one for the price of a battery. And with a swap the customer didn't have to be without the iPad.

It could be that they're now doing it as actual battery replacements. The process is not easy since iPads are glued together and complicated to put it back together, so I could see why it would only be done at central service locations. But it was my understanding that an Apple Store could accept it and then all the shipping to/from the service center would be at Apple's expense.

rino193 wrote:

I went back to the 5th Avenue store today. Spoke to a manager more senior to the one yesterday and they acknowledged miscommunication on their end and gave me a credit for the difference.

Cool. I was confused whether or not you actually paid for the "other damage" cost or if you declined. Firm but polite can work.

Haven't been the the 5th Ave store. Have been to the Grand Central Terminal store.

Why would any one replace a battery on an old 5th, 6th, 7th generation iPad for $249.00 when you can buy a new 9th generation I-Pad for the same price or less. I just did.