Hi IBK,
I can certainly appreciate and respect your concerns and I for one would be happy to adhere to whatever rules and regulations that Apple would provide to assist in this matter. But like Mr. Luigi kindly pointed out this has not been a normal situation.
There have been a few people who encountered this problem way back in October of which I was one of them and we did everything requested by the book and required by the forrum, but to no avail. I live in Kenya but in this forrum we found out that the problem was global, the UK, Europe, Arabia, India, USA, Canada, Mexico Vietnam, Finland etc. It was a global epidemic that touched all continents created by the Manufacturer himself, who, from most posts reported here did not seem aware that a software upgrade that they had launched had a killer bug. My Iphone 4s which was one of the first production units run well on the IOS 5.0 without a hitch. After the upgrade to IOS 5.01 it became as some have stated here a very expensive Ipod! For three months we all worked at trying to work with Apple's suggestions, changing of sim even came to find out that there are 64kb & 128kb sim cards, as most of the cases appear to be from people who purchased unlocked iPhone 4S phones which mine is. Then there was a new version of IOS 5.01 with a different code which also failed. Then we were to return the phones in the hope that that would end the nightmare but if you read through this forrum you will discover that this did not always provide the solution for many cases.
We were informed to revert the phone to factory settings which was not possible once the software had been upgraded & the other issues that Mr. Luigi patiently pointed out were all put to the test without much success. I paid USD$ 1,300 for my 64GB including handling and shipping and found that it was unacceptable that no solution was available from Apple. It's like buying a Mercedes or BMW and the dealership ignores, when informed, to address the issue of the car not running well because it might not be considered a safety issue or that not enough complaints have been registered. Would that be possible or even acceptable?
It also does not help that most appointed dealers outside the USA also seem reluctant to handle the matter of exchanging the phones as I suspect that they might not be having very much support either from the source, in this case Apple. So the option available is you hand in your phone and wait until the next shipment arrives with the hope that your issues are over. In some qaurters of the world some Apple dealers have begun to acknowledge that there is indeed a problem blaming it on the sim card which has had a lot of people desperately trying to change them with some having success whilst majority have not.
Apple headquarters on the other hand have gone silent. There are reports contained within this forrum of people sayin that people at the Apple stores they visited denied any such issue existed but were willing to replace the phone which in some cases has not solved the issue as those same phones have reverted to the same problem. Am actually surprised that there are still reported recent incidents of this issue still happening to new buyers who are finding their way into this forrum.
We're now in February and still no solution has been forthcoming only the rumour that something might come out in March...but honestly....am not holding my breath. Apple in the meantime continues to break sales records as the recent financial postings showed recently.
So when I see new people coming into this forrum and Mr. Luigi is trying to assist them find some solace from their manufacturer "poisoned" iPhone come expensive iPod....I will help...if I can trace what he needs within this forrum. Why? Because they don't need to go through the rigmaroll we who were here in the begining went through. Also as informed by Mr. Luigi this option was only considered viable when most of the others we started out with tried it out and kept on updating this forrum on their progress days into weeks. Majority had success. Without any side effects which we all were keen to know about as well.
I am one of the few who was able to get a replacement for mine running IOS 5.0 which am happy to leave at that rather than risk another failure and the inability of my Apple dealer to assist. I got in December 2011 & its been working fine.
The Irony of all this is that we were left on our own to try and figure out how to get our phones back on line for a bug that was created not from an outside or foreign site but by the parent company itself or risk losing our investments which no small matter...how then does one trust future upgrades from Apple without the fear that they might render your unit obsolete & pity the person should the unit in question be out of warranty...then what?
I dont know much about Steve Jobs but...in all honesty would this have been acceptable to him...would we be having this conversation right now 5 months or so later.
Would sueing Apple collectively for a product that does not perform as stipulated & in some cases considered a safety risk (when the signal drops & the phone no longer functions) get their attention enough for them to put this on their priority list to either replace the phones or provide the solution within a stipulated time frame? This has gone beyond apology now just a solution is needed.
Speaking for myself, this has to be the most arrogant and self indulged company I have ever had the privilege of buying a product from. I really held Apple in high esteem until this experience. It now seems to me that they are more interested in volumes than in the individuals that collectively form those volumes. More about the bottom line high sales turnover than the individuals that provide that collective total. About the effectiveness of customer care which is better than a million billboards posted on the walls. Peoples opinion matter & Apple seems to have forgotten that as few as might be reprensented here.
My apologies for the Long Email....but this is no ordinary isolated issue....its GLOBAL...and for those who returning the phone to the dealership is not an easy option anything that can help is better than nothing & so far for all accounts and purposes the Beta 3 IOS5.1 has helped.
Oh and by the way I was not the originator of the link I refered Mr. Luigi to, it was posted almost 2 months ago. I simply retrieved it for him and for that I take responsibility...no regrets in helping out at all.
Regards,
