iPhone Battery Replacement

Because they can’t replace a battery on a phone with a cracked screen so it’s just a fair warning to those before they get there and are told after they’ve gone through the process of making the appointment and spending travel time getting to the Apple Store.

anypats wrote:

Because they can’t replace a battery on a phone with a cracked screen so it’s just a fair warning to those before they get there and are told after they’ve gone through the process of making the appointment and spending travel time getting to the Apple Store.

Technically they can, but they just can't put it back together. 😉

If some one comes into an Apple with a screen damaged device, they should already know that there is the possiblity that Apple may have to repair/replace the screen at extra cost if Apple can’t put the phone bck together with the damaged screen.

A damaged screen repair/replacemnt is NOT included with a $29 battery replacement.

Duh...

🙄

MichelPM wrote:

If some one comes into an Apple with a screen damaged device, they should already know that there is the possiblity that Apple may have to repair/replace the screen at extra cost if Apple can’t put the phone bck together with the damaged screen.

A damaged screen repair/replacemnt is NOT included with a $29 battery replacement.

Duh...

🙄

I know it's obvious to people who think a lot about how electronic devices are put together. It's not obvious to the average owner of an iPhone (like my wife) who thinks of it as an appliance that "just works". I can guarantee that there will be people with cracked screens who make appointments based on all the publicity, and then decide against it once informed that it's going to cost $200 instead of $30. That's not worth mentioning?

Your talking about damaged screen repair costs!!!

Not about costs of a battery replacement and the topic here is about battery replacements NOT about more expensive screen damage repairs!!!

If Apple can’t put a cracked screen back on an iPhone getting a battery replacement, the cost of repair could possibly be more depending on if the user still has AppleCare or not on the phone.

I’m done!

MichelPM wrote:

Your talking about damaged screen repair costs!!!

Not about costs of a battery replacement and the topic here is about battery replacements NOT about more expensive screen damage repairs!!!

If Apple can’t put a cracked screen back on an iPhone getting a battery replacement, the cost of repair could possibly be more depending on if the user still has AppleCare or not on the phone.

I have no idea why you use the phrases "off-topic" and "should already know". A wide cross-section of people own iPhones, and frankly "should already know" doesn't apply to the typical customer because they have little idea what's involved in replacing the battery other than "I can get it cheaper".

The last time I was at an Apple Store I asked an employee if my wife's protective glass sheet being damaged would be an issue with a battery replacement service. My wife is a typical iPhone owner without a technical understanding of the issues. She has no idea if they take off a back or the display to get the battery. But she heard it's discounted $50 and she'd like to have a new battery with its consequential increase in capacity. This employee said they could do it if the underlying glass was intact. If the glass was damaged they would require the customer to pay for the glass replacement service in addition to the battery replacement costs. You don't think that's a legitimate thing to bring up in this topic?

I bring up damaged screen repair costs because I know A) Apple won't replace the battery in a damaged screen iPhone without the glass service, and B) A lot of people with damaged glass wouldn't bother making an appointment if they also have to pay for new glass at Apple's prices.

It’s not that I expected an appointment the minute I called. What I did expect, AFTER Apple announced the program up and running was a straight forward experience meaning easy to set up an appointment ( even if it wasn’t for three months ) and courteous employees who apologize for the delay instead of implying I was being unreasonable for wanting a new battery in the first place!

An additional FYI for those who haven’t gone yet, the person who helped me had me sign a form that if any non Apple parts were in my phone (mine thankfully does not) the repair would not be covered meaning if you have previously serviced your phone outside of Apple don’t bother bringing it in. Not sure why this is so, a defective battery is still defective even if your screen is not an original!

Tenafly144 wrote:

It’s not that I expected an appointment the minute I called. What I did expect, AFTER Apple announced the program up and running was a straight forward experience meaning easy to set up an appointment ( even if it wasn’t for three months ) and courteous employees who apologize for the delay instead of implying I was being unreasonable for wanting a new battery in the first place!

An additional FYI for those who haven’t gone yet, the person who helped me had me sign a form that if any non Apple parts were in my phone (mine thankfully does not) the repair would not be covered meaning if you have previously serviced your phone outside of Apple don’t bother bringing it in. Not sure why this is so, a defective battery is still defective even if your screen is not an original!

This has been Apple's policy forever. They will not work on a device that has been serviced by a 3rd party firm, period. And the reason is pretty simple. If the 3rd party did anything that could have damaged the phone, there is no way to stop a customer from then trying to pin the blame on Apple and expect Apple to either fix or replace the phone. So Apple won't touch a phone that has been touched by another company.

Is that really fair in a recall situation which is what is happening here? It’s like GM sayngvthey wont replace you’re defective airbag if you had your bumper repaired by an outside body shop. Apple should step outside it’s notmal policy for this one.

Tenafly144 wrote:

It’s not that I expected an appointment the minute I called. What I did expect, AFTER Apple announced the program up and running was a straight forward experience meaning easy to set up an appointment ( even if it wasn’t for three months ) and courteous employees who apologize for the delay instead of implying I was being unreasonable for wanting a new battery in the first place!

An additional FYI for those who haven’t gone yet, the person who helped me had me sign a form that if any non Apple parts were in my phone (mine thankfully does not) the repair would not be covered meaning if you have previously serviced your phone outside of Apple don’t bother bringing it in. Not sure why this is so, a defective battery is still defective even if your screen is not an original!

In most cases the battery isn't defective per se. It may be aged/degraded from the normal consequences of discharging and recharging a rechargeable battery. Apple is doing this to address the performance of the phone when powered by an aged battery.

From what I've heard, the vast majority of people coming in for this plan don't necessarily need it for any performance issues. Originally Apple stated that it would only apply to batteries that were under the diagnostic's 80% threshold. However, many have just heard that there's a discount and they don't want to miss out on an opportunity to have a new battery while it's cheaper.

Tenafly144 wrote:

Is that really fair in a recall situation which is what is happening here? It’s like GM sayngvthey wont replace you’re defective airbag if you had your bumper repaired by an outside body shop. Apple should step outside it’s notmal policy for this one.

Of course it's fair. And this isn't a recall at all. It's a voluntary battery replacement offer at reduced cost. And sorry, but while I too sometimes use car analogies, yours doesn't work here. Do you have any idea how many people go to aftermarket service centers, pay to have their screens/batteries, etc., replaced, then realize they made a mistake and try to get Apple to fix it afterwards. Apple has long maintained that the minute you let someone else open up your phone, you can no longer get Apple to service your phone. They're simply unwilling, for good reason to take responsibility for a device that has been tampered with.

Philly_Phan wrote:

Airbags don’t deteriorate from age/use like batteries.

Actually they do deteriorate from age. They are activated by a chemical explosive that degrades with age. Manufacturers recommend replacing airbags after 10 years.

Just to say; I do not see this matter as people taking advantage so as not to miss out on a cheap battery offer.

Apple clearly saw the fault and the long term potential for trouble and rather than let it become a sore, took decisive action.

Their offer encouraged people to come forward; that it may not be totally necessary is irrelevant. As a result, the company are turning a major problem into a PR advantage.

Good for them.

rbrylawski wrote:

Tenafly144 wrote:

It’s not that I expected an appointment the minute I called. What I did expect, AFTER Apple announced the program up and running was a straight forward experience meaning easy to set up an appointment ( even if it wasn’t for three months ) and courteous employees who apologize for the delay instead of implying I was being unreasonable for wanting a new battery in the first place!

An additional FYI for those who haven’t gone yet, the person who helped me had me sign a form that if any non Apple parts were in my phone (mine thankfully does not) the repair would not be covered meaning if you have previously serviced your phone outside of Apple don’t bother bringing it in. Not sure why this is so, a defective battery is still defective even if your screen is not an original!

This has been Apple's policy forever. They will not work on a device that has been serviced by a 3rd party firm, period. And the reason is pretty simple. If the 3rd party did anything that could have damaged the phone, there is no way to stop a customer from then trying to pin the blame on Apple and expect Apple to either fix or replace the phone. So Apple won't touch a phone that has been touched by another company.

I think it's got more wrinkles than that. The most important thing is that warranty repairs can't be conditioned on going through authorized repair and using authorized parts.

Under warranty, there are consumer protection laws in many countries (such as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act in the United States) that don't allow a warrantor to deny a warranty or extended service plan (like AppleCare) claim out of hand because a product was modified or serviced by an "unauthorized" person (including the owner), or now contains "unauthorized" parts. At least in the US that means "tie in provisions" can't be made unless the particular part is provided for free (like a carmaker's complimentary service plan) or a waiver is granted by the FTC. They're of course not responsible for damage that comes from shoddy work or if the unauthorized part might have damaged something. The worst thing about such laws is that some companies ignore them, and it takes legal action to enforce the terms.

I've serviced my own MacBook Pro before. I replaced the hard drive myself. I'm thinking of upgrading the RAM. I unplugged the battery connector when I had an otherwise unrecoverable SMC issue. These are not things that Apple will consider disqualifications for their MBP battery service, which is the only way to get a new OEM battery. As was stated, they want to know that there are non-Apple/AAS installed parts, but it't not automatically going to disqualify for everything Apple sells. I'm pretty sure that if I previously installed an aftermarket battery in there myself (and it's really easy) they would refuse to install a new one out of warranty.

Now out of warranty with a particularly difficult to service device like an iPhone is another matter. These consumer protection laws only apply to warranties and "extended warranties". Apple legally has no obligation to service the battery in an out of warranty device if it's received aftermarket parts. There's bound to be people who are turned away by Apple because they had some repair stand in a mall replace the battery or fix a cracked screen.

seventy one wrote:

Just to say; I do not see this matter as people taking advantage so as not to miss out on a cheap battery offer.

I depends on the person. My wife heard about it and has asked me about it. She's got no performance issues on her 6s Plus, where my running of coconutBattery indicates that it's at about 84% health. She's looking at this as a chance to start over with 100%. However, she's also heard of the availability issues and is willing to put it off until there are reports that there's no longer a backorder.

I was reading someplace that maybe 10% of the iPhones being brought in under this promotion are failing the standard battery diagnostic.

Apple's motivation is likely very different than their customers' different motivations. I had my 4s for over 4 years, and it had a nominal life of 300 cycles. I'm guessing that it was probably around 1000 and had about 20% of its original capacity. If Apple had made their battery replacement service available for $29 I would have done it in an instant. Since they didn't I just gave it away to someone who got an aftermarket battery installed in Asia for about $15.

This has been rather unprecedented, and I'm not sure how Apple could have done it in any ways that satisfies the majority of customers. When they announced that they'd make the lower price available in late January, the outcry was to do it immediately and Apple relented. Then when the supplies were wholly inadequate for the demand, people were complaining about that. But I give Apple credit for trying.