Complaint Review: Apple

My 6 month old iPhone worked before I went to bed but would not turn on or restore in the morning. I was stunned when the "Genius" tech at the Apple store refused to honor the warranty claming that the phone had not just gotten wet, but had been submerged. He said he could tell this because the warer sensor in the headphone jack had turned "slightly pink" from its original white. He said this is a sign that the phone was submerged in liquid (though the AT&T store who sold me the phone said the sensor would then likely be red not "slightly pink."

My husband has looked ito the earpiece using his hewlers loop under a high-attage work light and it looks white to him. If it really is slightly pink, the one and ONLY possible reason for this is that my husband sweats quite a bit and carries the phone in a pocket when he borrows it so it's up against his (possibly swweaty) body. We live in AZ so it's hot here a lot of the time. The sweat would have had to have made the sensor turn over time, if in fact it really has. But, even if that were true, it might explain the color of the sensor but we don't believe that made it suddenly stop working (he doesn't sweat buckets). From what we've ready on the Internet, we believe it's a motherboard issue.

However, if mere prespiration can cause this, then the iPhone has a manufacturing flaw abd they should be forced to honor their warranty as this would be "normal use" and there are no warnings in the product literature about not carrying the phone next to your body in a packet, or handling it with slightly sweaty hands. The Magnussen-Moss Warranty Act essentially says "if you buy a can opener, you should be able to depend on it opening cans."

The Apple "Genious" (what they call their Technicians) claimed that Apple tested the water sensor in all kinds of conditions and that sewat, a few drops of rain, etc. will not turn the sensor pink, and that this can only happen by submersing the phone in liquid which has never happened with our phone.

However, the AT&T store where we bought the phone is in the same mall so we went back to get their opinion. They told us that all makes of cell phones now have the water sensor and that they certainly can change color from perspiration or a few drops of rain.

For all we know, Apple got some faulty stickers (the sensor is a chemically treated sticker), sold us a phone that had been returned or something.

We just know that Apple appears to be wriggling out of their warranties on a very expensive phone for a reason that may not be genuine in many cases.

And I can't even replace the 6 month old phone for the $199 promotional price I paid for it and had to sign a 2-year contract to get. Now, it will be $399 minimum 8 Gig. (You would think when it's obvious you are not upgrading but are replacing the very same phone DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD, they should at LEAST give you the original purchase price.

We have no children and literally no visitors in our home. I work from home and am disabled so the iPhone rarely even leaves our home, so there is NO possibility that anyone else had access to it or could have submerged it in liquid.

Judging from what I read on the Internet, I think it's tome for a claas action suit. My hubbie and will willingly take and pass lie detector tests that the phone has never gotten wet.

There is no point to my taking my time to post this, and to misrepresent the facts, when it isn't going to get me anything.

Now I know why Apple is the only major cell phone manufacturer that doesn't offer an accidental damage warranty for purchase. I believe they know of this defect and that there would be too many claims. Usually these warranties profit a nice profit back to the seller and/or manufacturer from the third-party insurer. Hmmmmm . . . maybe no third party WANTS to insure them? Must be a reason!

CLASS ACTION TIME!

Dave
Chandler, Arizona
U.S.A.

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