dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
735

mromero
Premium Member
join:2000-12-07
Fullerton, CA

mromero

Premium Member

Changes coming to AppleCare....

No more automatic refurb iPhones maybe....

»www.macrumors.com/2013/0 ··· options/

"The biggest announcement, was the way repairs for iPhones will be handled soon," the person, who asked not to be identified due to their active status as an Apple employee, told AppleInsider. "The way it is now, if almost anything is wrong with an iPhone, iPod, or iPad, the entire device is exchanged for a like-new re manufactured (sic) device, whether brought into an apple store or sent in for mail in repair. Now we are starting to actually repair the products and return the same device to the customer."

Currently, Apple Stores have the tools to replace speakers, receivers, home buttons, the vibrator motor and battery. Come June, capabilities will be expanded to display replacement, and by July cameras, sleep/wake buttons and logic boards will be dealt with in-store.
mromero

mromero

Premium Member

Here's the direct article from Apple Insider....

»appleinsider.com/article ··· irs-more

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

haroldo to mromero

Member

to mromero
So, if I understand it correctly, instead of a 20 minute Apple Store visit, it's now a drop off, wait an hour or two and come back. Yippee!

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt

Premium Member

said by haroldo:

So, if I understand it correctly, instead of a 20 minute Apple Store visit, it's now a drop off, wait an hour or two and come back. Yippee!

Good luck, probably next day or two if they have to repair many phones that were just a straight swap before.

Mike
Mod
join:2000-09-17
Pittsburgh, PA

Mike to mromero

Mod

to mromero
Apple has to save money now that Tim
Cooke lit all of the company's cash on fire.

dirtyjeffer0
Posers don't use avatars.
Premium Member
join:2002-02-21
London, ON

1 recommendation

dirtyjeffer0 to mromero

Premium Member

to mromero
i find this story amusing.

here's why...when a company has a repair process, customers complain that it isn't just swapped right then and there...when they do have a swap program, customers complain they are getting a refurb swap unit...you just can't win.

not quite right
I'm not cool enough to be a Mac person
join:2001-06-23
Puyallup, WA

not quite right to mromero

Member

to mromero
I've had them swap out speakers in my wife's iPhone 5 quicker than it takes them to do the paper work on a refurb unit. (True story)

skeechan
Ai Otsukaholic
Premium Member
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170

skeechan to dirtyjeffer0

Premium Member

to dirtyjeffer0
Exactly. I take care of my stuff, I don't want a refurb that is likely to be in worse physical condition than my own device.

Kanebrake
Island Time
Premium Member
join:2002-03-12

Kanebrake

Premium Member

said by skeechan:

Exactly. I take care of my stuff, I don't want a refurb that is likely to be in worse physical condition than my own device.

amen

haroldo
join:2004-01-16
USA

2 edits

haroldo to skeechan

Member

to skeechan
said by skeechan:

Exactly. I take care of my stuff, I don't want a refurb that is likely to be in worse physical condition than my own device.

While I can't say with any degree of certainty (nor can anyone outside of Apple's distribution chain, either), I believe many (most?) refurbs are for cosmetic issues.
For example, if a box gets dented; if the logo on the box has a smudge or isn't centered properly; if the unit has a minor scratch or any other similar problem, it can't be repackaged and sold as new...so they add it to the refurb pile.
In addition, some refurbs could be returns where the buyer changed their mind on the purchase after opening the shrinkwrap. If the phone is too confusing to figure out and the person just returns it within 30 days for a full refund, etc.
As to problematic units, some defects that get returned for repair might be simple and return the device to new condition (replacing the button, etc.)
If I had to guess, the odds of getting a refurb that is a lemon is equal to the odds of getting a lemon from a brand new unit. I don't think refurbs are any more problematic than the normal inventory.
The popular conception (misconception?) that a refurb is someone else's problematic unit repackaged and passed on the the next sucker is an unfair assessment.(IMHO)

dirtyjeffer0
Posers don't use avatars.
Premium Member
join:2002-02-21
London, ON

dirtyjeffer0

Premium Member

exactly...in most cases, a refurb replacement is almost "as good as new" anyway.
kitsune
join:2001-11-26
Sacramento, CA

kitsune

Member

said by dirtyjeffer0:

exactly...in most cases, a refurb replacement is almost "as good as new" anyway.

Honestly if you consider the fact that it has gone through a second round of testing they are not just good as new but many times better. Especially since apple treats them as new for warranty purposes so they certainly trust it to be just as good.

Andy from CA
Premium Member
join:2008-09-05
Anaheim, CA

Andy from CA to mromero

Premium Member

to mromero
IDK but these days it's refreshing to know a manufacturer of electronics is repairing their hardware rather than throwing it away and giving you a new one. IMHO this says they're so well built they are worth fixing. Say the same about today's HDTVs.

I've always thought Apple stuff cost more because it's built better. Maybe they're proving it by saying "We have the technology, we can rebuild it, without sending it to Austin."
Maggs
Premium Member
join:2002-11-29
Jackson Heights, NY

Maggs to mromero

Premium Member

to mromero
Maybe they want to cut out the RMA costs, with all the UPS and FedEx shipping. Let's say out of 60 million phones, 1% is defective, that's 600,000 units, or about $300 million at $500 a piece.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt to skeechan

Premium Member

to skeechan
said by skeechan:

Exactly. I take care of my stuff, I don't want a refurb that is likely to be in worse physical condition than my own device.

That's not the case with Apple's refurbs, as they have new cases and new batteries. So unless there's a dead pixel which rarely happens, there's little chance of a replacement unit being in worse shape than the one you're swapping.

Count Zero
Premium Member
join:2007-01-18
Milton, FL

Count Zero to skeechan

Premium Member

to skeechan
Actually I can tell you b/c I did swap out my iphone 4 that the refurbs they give in store are immaculate. My sister-in-law has also swapped out her iPhone several several times because she kept dropping it and her refurbs all looked new as well. Never had any trouble with any of the refurbs either. I seriously have taken to buying Apple Refurb stuff because it's a fantastic deal. You get the full warranty and the products look brand new. Things I've bought refurb so far: MacBook Air (promptly returned because the new ones that came out the following week were so much better I wanted to upgrade - but it looked and felt like new), 27" LED display, 2012 iMac, 2x AppleTV 2nd gen + 1 3rd gen, and my replacement iPhone 4. Never have had a single problem with any of those.