UPDATE: I did call the Apple Support line today and, to be brief, there wasn't an effective way to determine why 2 of the 3 requests I successfully submitted to recycle my old iPhones failed to produce a shipping label to Apple's contractor for recycling, ERI. The rep I spoke with recommended an alternative to shipping phones into Apple's Trade-In and Recycling program: just bring the devices to a local Apple store. While I was on the phone, the rep called one of the nearby stores (I'm in the Chicago suburbs so there are several Apple Stores in the area) and confirmed that it accepts devices for recycling without an appointment. No one seemed to know why their online system didn't work well on my three device requests or how to communicate with ERI. It will clearly be easier for me to drive to an Apple Store with the 3 old phones than to locate suitable shipping boxes and resubmit recycle requests online for two of the three phones. ERI insists that multiple devices be shipped separately, so that makes the entire process more complicated if one hasn't saved all the old Apple boxes for years.
One other comment I want to provide. At the beginning of my call with Apple Support, I was helped by an Apple AI agent. I was startled by how well the AI agent was able to converse and understand my situation, and questions and answers were handled intelligently. AI agents I've dealt with elsewhere have been, shall we say, dense and unable to handle much beyond scripted conversation. If the AI agent hadn't introduced itself as such, I honestly might not have realized I was dealing with an AI agent. Apple's effort with AI was very different and eventually handed me off to a live agent with whom I had the above conversation. The AI agent spoke in natural English, complete with appropriate pauses, and the entire conversation was on point and progressive. I'm not an AI fan because most often it's implemented prematurely before agents are trained to do more than get in the way of the customer. Apple's effort is quite different.
