Cosmetic condition listed on Genius Bar Work Authorization

Here is the pomised update.

I got the call that the battery was ready on 2/23. One month exactly. I got my battery replaced on 2/25.

When turning it in for service, I asked the representative to show me the damage indicated in the description. She was unable to see any damage, and said it was probably just a stock condition statement this other person used. I would have had her change it to be more accurate, but the store was crazy busy, and I was holding up the line, so I just handed it in. Her acknowledgement was good enough for me at the time.

It took almost exactly two hours to complete. They were very precise. They told me 2 hours. I checked at 1.5 hours and it wasn't ready, but was ready at the 2 hour mark.

As it turned out, they did scratch the glass on my phone. There are 3 marks on the glass now that I didn't notice before. All 3 are in the bottom right corner. Two are very light and it is possible they were there before. One (1/8" scratch on the bottom edge) is deep enough to feel, and I know for a fact it wasn't there before. When I complained in the Apple e-mail survey, I got a call from the Apple store manager. She was very nice, but DID throw the condition description back in my face. She said the tech wouldn't have written that if he had not seen damage, and they have to go by the condition that is written on work order form. She did offer to replace the screen, but that may have to do with a goodwill gesture than policy. I told her that I thought the marks, although annoying, do not justify replacing the screen. I'll have this phone for another year and half at most and its not worth the hassle.

I think the lesson here is make sure you agree with the condition statement before you sign the initial work order. Although the (imo) erroneous description did not hurt me in this instance, it certianly complicated the discussion.

As a final note, the new battery did fix the speed issues. The CPU DasherX consistently reports 1.4GHz now instead of numbers as low as 600MHz with the old battery. All in all, I'm glad I got it done. I just wish they hadn't scratched the phone.

Thanks. I guess if its not normal to have the condition described like this, I need to take it up with them when I bring in the phone. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say. I don't think its a huge deal necessarily, but on the other hand, its a pretty detailed description to be so inacurate.

I was hoping someone would respond and say that their work order said the exact same thing. Then I'd know it was just a shortcut button they use.

deggie wrote:

I've yet to see a phone that has been used for more than 30 days that doesn't have some scratches on the casing and signs of use on the screen.

Really?

Scratches even if the phone has been in a case since day 1?

And I realize anti-reflective coatings could be worn off the glass (although I'm not sure the iPhone6 even has any coatings), but if there really was visible screen wear after 30 days on every single phone, don't you think we would have heard about it? I certainly would have complained.

How are you seeing this damage, through a jeweler's loupe or an electron microscope?

I'll let you know what Apple says if/when I am contacted to bring it in.

y_p_w wrote:

miked wrote:

And I realize anti-reflective coatings could be worn off the glass (although I'm not sure the iPhone6 even has any coatings), but if there really was visible screen wear after 30 days on every single phone, don't you think we would have heard about it? I certainly would have complained.

An antireflective coating on a touchscreen would be a bad idea. However, I heard the iPad Pro may be the only Apple touchscreen that has one. I'm not sure what makes that one different.

However, no way would something like an iPhone that gets stashed in a pocket be able to survive all that rubbing with an antireflective coating.

That makes sense. FYI, the iPad Air2 is also anti-reflective coated. I have an Air, Air2, and Pro 10.5, and the Air2/Pro coating is quite apparent. No noticeable wear issues yet on the Air2 (which is a year old). I just got the pro 10.5 when they went on sale for $499 to replace the Air (as it turned out, ios 11 was the "update of death" for the Air, but it had a good run). The anti-reflective coating actually makes the glass a little more difficult to clean. I can't just wipe it with a dry cloth like I can the Air or my phone. Spots seem to be a bit more stubborn on those screens (or a bit more visible maybe).

I'll respond on this thread on what Apple says about phone condition and how the new battery affects performance.