Rant: Apple iPhone Battery Replacement Program
I waited a long time before deciding to post this. Why? I wanted to be sure it was not just the mood I was in that day and that I still feel the same way about this that I did that day. Sitting here on the beach in Jamaica… Yes. I still feel the same way.
Rant: Apple iPhone Battery Replacement Program
Image credit: “IPhone 5s” by Zach Vega – Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IPhone_5s.png#mediaviewer/File:IPhone_5s.png
Warning: Rant coming…
As with any smart phone the first thing that fails is the battery. Most vendors make you sign a 2 year contract while knowing full well your battery will fail before your contract is up and you can upgrade. My iPhone has been no different…
I have an iPhone 5. I began using my mophie case to extend the battery life. Apple has a battery replacement program for certain serial numbers. I ran the check and found that my serial number qualified. So I made an appointment at our local Apple store.
I arrived to a packed store and got checked in. Good thing I made an appointment or who knows how long I would have waited to be disappointed.
The tech checked my serial number and found that my iPhone qualified. He told me it would take about an hour to replace the battery. Cool, right?
Then the tech ran ‘diagnostics’ and said that my battery was fine. He tried to tell me that my mophie case was probably the cause of my issue. Uh huh… I only began using it when my battery began to fail.
He went on to explain to me about blue tooth and location finding apps, etc that drain my battery. I am thinking to myself that I am no stranger to technology. I understand and employ good battery saving practices. I am after all ‘Geek Grandma’ for a reason. When he felt I had been sufficiently schooled he began to complete our appointment.
He sent me a link to restore my phone to factory, then I would download only those apps I wanted from my backup. This action is to eliminate any apps causing issues with my battery. He also informed me that my phone was still under warranty for the issue I was having. Yeah, right. That expired like a year ago.
So I left the store with no new battery and a lesson in stuff I have known like forever. Was that a scam to not have to replace my battery or what? I think so. What a waste of my time.
End of rant.
This experience has not turned me off of Apple. I still love my Mac and my iPhone. When it’s time to upgrade I will choose another iPhone. I am not an Apple fan girl. I just like my stuff to work and play well together. Apple does it better than anyone else thus far.
What do you think? Am I being unreasonable to think that my battery should have been replaced?
Until next time…
Geek Grandma
Filed in: Technology
No you are not crazy for thinking your battery should have been replaced! What's crazy is that we are ALL (no matter what device) hostages to this type of BS now. It's like crack only worse…because you just can't throw out the technology, the PC, the Mac, the Iphone, the Android. You could, of course, but it'd be like going back to using an outhouse because your toilet broke and you don't want to fix it. Sigh…. I think that's what I despise about it. Hahahaha. They all have their own special set of glitches but we all keep buying, waiting in line, and then upgrading so we have successfully limited our own choices. Great rant Cheryl…I was pissed off FOR you!
You're being totally reasonable. It seems like every time I got into a tech store with issues, my problem never gets solved. Every now and then, the sales person actually does their job… lol. It took conversations with three different people and two rounds of logging into our online account to get our recent overseas phone plan right (geesh).
That would be very frustrating. You were much more reasonable that I think I would have been. To me being an advocate, knowledgeable and a good problem solver as a sales person is what make a person come back many times over. the stuff your talking about does the exact opposite. I have been having battery issues of late with my own phone. I keep nursing it along until I'm eligible for an upgrade in a few months.
And this is a big reason why I don't have a smart phone. I have ways of doing all the same stuff without having a phone glued to my hand. Granted I do have my other devices with me constantly, but it isn't quite the same as the cell phone zombies I see running around everywhere.
Now with the iPhone 6 plus that might change. The screen is almost big enough to justify a switch from my iPad to a phone.
It seems you were quite obliging. I would never have been. It would have been time for "let me speak with the manager now." I just don't put up well with this kind of treatment. My iPhone 5 did not have an eligible serial number for battery replacement. And I have a year to go on my contract. Sigh. I'll treat it as gingerly as I can until then. Because I've been an Apple user, in every way, since 1984.
I've not come across this problem yet myself, but now you have me feeling nervous! And yes you should in your case have come away with a new battery. My phone is 4 years ol ( iPhone 4) & still on the original battery. Be interesting to know which were the most draining apps.