Broken Apple Watch Band

Scott2349a wrote:

After five months, my Apple Watch band (sport band 45 mm) broke. It’s unusable so a replacement is quite necessary. I’m at the Genius Bar in an Apple Store and I learned that regardless of my Apple care plan or the basic warranty, I will have to wait at least one week to receive a replacement band. Not only will I have to wait for a week, but I will be required to drive to the Apple Store to pickup said replacement band. So I have no choice but to spend $52 on a week long replacement band, hope that I get a full credit on its return to the store next week. If I can buy a band in store, why can I not receive that band as a replacement. This policy is not worthy of Apple.

This is a user-to-user technical support forum. You're not addressing Apple here.

If the Apple Store didn't have the replacement available in the store, yes, they would need to order if for you. Had you called Apple Support rather than going to the store, you might have been able to have them ship you the replacement. Yes, you can return the band within 14 days.

Another option would have been to explore the wonderful world of third-party watch bands. Amazon has lots available for much less than $52, many available overnight.

Scott2349a wrote:

The Apple Store did have an exact replacement in stock at the store. I was forced to buy it! I also called Apple support and was told to bring the broken band into the store.

Having a new band in stock and having a replacement band are not the same thing. Replacements have different SKUs, usually different packaging as well. You may not like that but it's the way things are generally done.

Apparently it’s Apple policy to make you wait 3-5 business days for a replacement part even though they have the exact same part in stock.

Again, it's not the exact same part.

It’s also Apple policy to require you to visit the Apple Store to pickup this replacement part.

That was just a thought.

I would say I’m disappointed and surprised by this experience. It’s things like this that motivate customers to seek out other competitors products.

And you will find that this is a fairly standard way of doing things. For a variety of reasons that would take too long to explain and are probably really boring unless you handle retail inventory (as I did for twenty years), replacement items are not the same as new stock.

Scott2349a wrote:

Got it. Seems like a pretty standard policy.

I know it's frustrating because you can SEE the same item right there on the shelf..... ;-)