LilSnoop40 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I purchased the iPhone 5 on launch day, just like I did with the iPhone 4, 3, and the iPad 2. I have been a loyal customer supporting Apple and buying apps, along with other accessories, since then. Between my wife and I, we have at least 5 Apple products because we like the ease of use of the devices, but after the past 2 weeks, we will never buy an Apple product again. On my most recent Apple purchase, the iPhone 5, I took out the Apple Care Plus plan for the time ever. My original iPhone 5 had an issue with vertical lines on the screen, and the phone would reboot at random. I called the tech line and they suggested that I take it into Apple. I tried doing both a ?restore as new? and a ?restore from back up?, and issue happened in 6.0, 6.0.1 and 6.0.2 firmwares. I made an appointment on January 8, 2013, and the tech said that the issue was not repairable and I was given a refurbished phone. I had to repurchase a Zagg Invisible Shield screen protector for the ?new? phone, and went home. I put the screen protector on and set up my phone as a new phone (I didn?t have to do a firmware update because it was on the latest, 6.0.2). Within an hour of setting the phone up, I noticed that the screen was loose. When I would push the screen, it would click or move up and down. I opened an app, and the phone rebooted on its own. I made another appointment at the Apple store on January 11, 2013, and they gave me another refurbished phone. I had to purchase another Zagg Invisible Shield, and went home to set the phone up again. Within a day, the phone rebooted so many times that the error log was filling the entire length of the phone screen. I called Apple Tech Support again and asked to speak with a manager. They transferred me to a manager named Charlie. After explaining what was going on, Charlie suggested that I try this phone out for a few days and call him back directly with any issues. This phone ran very hot and also kept randomly rebooting. I went back to the store again on January 15, 2013 and they gave me a 3rd refurbished phone, and another Zagg Invisible Shield. I called Charlie to let him know and he said that if I have issues again, he will put in a request for me to get a BRAND new phone. The phone worked reasonably well and then crashed again on January 20, 2013. I used it for a few more days and it crashed again on January 23, 2013. I called Charlie and let him know what was going on. He transferred my Apple Care Plus plan over to a brand new phone that he was going to be shipping me, and that I should get it either Friday January 25, or Saturday January 26. The phone never came so I emailed Charlie asking him ship status. He called me Monday January 28 and told me that he will NOT be sending me a phone, and that the engineers want me to do a clean restore and run it to see how long it takes for it to crash again. I asked Charlie to speak to his manager and he told me there is no one above him and that nothing else can be done. For a company that makes billions of dollars every year, I am sorely disappointed in their handling of the situation. If you are paying the extra money for the extended care plan you shouldn?t have to troubleshoot your own phone and still not have any positive resolution. Not to mention being stuck with a refurbished phone, and having to pay out of pocket for all of the extra screen protectors. I?m not sure that I?ll be recommending Apple products to anyone in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I see your point however, I feel that they don't believe all the phones are faulty. I've never had more than 1 apple device fail on me and it was partly my own fault, they replaced it with a refurb and its still working yet. To have 4 fail within that space of time is VERY unlikely and I suspect they think you are upto something or breaking them by mistake. I find it hard to believe myself, sorry. What does suck is that you buy a brand new phone and they give you refurbished ones! BTW, I'm not having a go at you, I'm just trying to see if from their POV. I doubt I'd replace a phone a 5th time either TBH. also, inb4 apple hate thread John S. 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleNeutrino Veteran Posted January 28, 2013 Veteran Share Posted January 28, 2013 it is unfortunate that you would experience an issue with every phone that you received, I wonder sometimes if they do much of a quality check on the Apple refurbished products, as Every single refurbished item I have received or my brother in law has received has been defective. javagreen 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guth Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I wonder sometimes if they do much of a quality check on the Apple refurbished products, as Every single refurbished item I have received or my brother in law has received has been defective. I've only ever had one so maybe my comment was a little harsh. After googling around, it does seem that their refurbs have a lot of problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
togermano Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I stopped getting an iphone when my wifi stopped working correctly they wouldnt replace the phone when it was only a few months out of warrantyn. Its obvious it was there fault because unless I opened it up and F'd with the wifi chip it was manufacturing error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey_richie Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I ordered a new Samsung Galaxy S II from Vodafone a while back, to replace my HTC Desire. I was sent an opened box, with a 'phone that had been tampered with. I called Vodafone, and they had a courier bring a brand-new handset out to me the next day. So it's not just Apple, they all play the refurb game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilSnoop40 Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 what's the purpose of the extended care if you still get refurbs? you pay $100 extra to get that extra care knowing that if you have an issue they will fix it. i just want the phone fixed, say its a software fix why should i take the time and after i exchanged it already 3 times like they asked and still having this reboot issue. its not just me my friend bought a brand new iphone 5 and when he puts his passcode into his phone the phone reboots. he doesn't want to take the phone into apple cause the phone is a 1 week old and doesn't want to get stuck with a refurb. the engineers want to work with me to get it fixed, hows that my job... i don't have time to trial and error for them. my daughter has about 65-70 apps on my phone its could be anything causing it. if there was a problem that should of been found when they submitted the app. i think i have been more then calm with them and have worked with them in driving to apple 3 times. its not like its next door its a good drive to get there, to have the manager say i am the highest person... that was real reassuring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barpanda Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I stopped getting an iphone when my wifi stopped working correctly they wouldnt replace the phone when it was only a few months out of warrantyn. Its obvious it was there fault because unless I opened it up and F'd with the wifi chip it was manufacturing error It's a known software issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javagreen Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I ordered a new Samsung Galaxy S II from Vodafone a while back, to replace my HTC Desire. I was sent an opened box, with a 'phone that had been tampered with. I called Vodafone, and they had a courier bring a brand-new handset out to me the next day. So it's not just Apple, they all play the refurb game. Yup, they do, nobody's denying that. That's not what his post is about, though. His post is about how he was sent a refurb, 3 times, each one with more issues than the previous one. Also, in your case, they replaced it with a brand new phone immediately after you reported it. That doesn't seem to have happened in the OP's case. Also, how can they give you a refurb instead of a brand new one is beyond me, despite you having the extended Applecare warranty. That's unacceptable by _any_ measure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rippleman Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 i wouldn't accept a refurb myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xilo Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Lesson learned. Don't apply a screen protector until you are sure the phone is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadrack Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I would expect the refurbs to be better than the ones coming off the assembly line. Simply because I would expect the refurbs to be tested more before being given to a customer... that must not be happening :(. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeroFearX Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I had to change an Ipad 2 and an Iphone 4S due to technical issues. Both that I received where brand new. I am quite surprised they gave you a refurbish one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2xSilverKnight Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 No person higher than the store manager. That"s bull**** ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardcore Til I Die Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 the engineers want to work with me to get it fixed, hows that my job... i don't have time to trial and error for them. my daughter has about 65-70 apps on my phone its could be anything causing it. if there was a problem that should of been found when they submitted the app. I feel your frustration but you're being unreasonable here. They've given you a number of refurbs and they've all had the same problem. That would point to the issue more than likely being software. The engineers try to help and you say you don't have time for that..they can't win can they? Not every app can be tested under every possible scenario and sometimes bugs will sneak through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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