iPhone 5 Production Week 43

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Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone on here as an Apple iPhone 5 black and slate that was manufactured in week 43 October? If so was the device damaged or flawless?
 
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Mine was a launch day phone with a very small bit of damage, you had to look for it to see it. Over time it got worse and in the words of the apple guy I spoke to on the phone now looks like "Crap". After a short conversation with apple they swapped my phone with there express shipping (They send you a phone you send one back) and I now have a perfect condition phone.

Alex
 
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Do you have Apple Care? Or is this just Apple being quite nice?

Just apple being nice, I believe this is due to the phone only being under a year old but after the first year you will need apple care to get this service, I will look into apple care if I am not upgrading to the iPhone 5s when that comes around next year.

Alex
 

rpg

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You get 90 days complimentary telephone support and a 1-year limited warranty from date of purchase - i.e. they'll cover defects in materials and workmanship for 1 year. You can extend coverage for up to 2 years with the Apple Care protection plan. So it's not really Apple being nice, they're doing what they're legally obliged to do by replacing a defective device.

I had an issue with the home button on my iPhone 5 (wasn't firm, and 'wobbled' slightly side to side) so I returned it. They sent me a replacement which was also defective; the black aluminium rim wasn't machined correctly in one section and was marked (not fixable) so I returned that also.

Not only was the replacement product defective but they sent it to me in an already opened white box - the taped seal had been cut. This therefore meant that this replacement phone had already been shipped to someone else as a warranty claim and they had also returned it. So they were just chancing their arm with me, in the hope I'd accept it. The brown outer box that contained the white box was sealed correctly. Disgraceful really. I defaced the white box with a large X so it could not be shipped again (the box is marked with the phone's serial number).

I'm awaiting my 3rd iPhone now. If this isn't perfect, I'm asking for a refund.

It's a black 64GB model for those interested.
 
Soldato
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My experience has been much like rpg's. The QC measures don't appear to have improved at all and all the devices I have received have had either significant damage, faults, or a combination of the two, with all of them having a yellow tint at the top of the display.

Device I currently have is number 6, however this is all boxed up ready for a full refund (being arranged by Apple CR). Covered in marks literally all around the device.

On the plus side, Apple have offered me £100 to spend on anything I want at the online store, but that's more because of the number of iMacs (4th arrived yesterday) that I've had to swap in addition to the iPhones.
 
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rpg

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Thanks for your input lamboman. It's good to know of someone that has had a full refund approved. It's the next step for me if I'm not 100% satisfied with the replacement device.
 

rpg

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3rd iPhone received and is defective also; the device rattles loudly near the top. A quick Google alludes to a problem with the lens case. The inner white box has tape all over it (three different types) so this would suggest it's been returned to them three times prior to them sending it to me.

So I'm not doing it again, I have scheduled a call for 9AM and I want my money back.
 
Soldato
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Note that I have not received the refund yet, but it will be sorted. I'll keep you updated just so you know what to roughly expect. Best bet is to contact Customer Relations, explain the situation, and state that you want a refund (and will purchase again later - can't hurt to fib a little).

For CR to arrange a refund they pretty much need to speak to the manager of a store and ask them if they're willing to offer it. Otherwise, it'll be refunded through AppleCare. In my case, I actually had £85 worth of vouchers spent on the phone, which they'll also be refunding me in cash (if they can't get the refund sorted with my local store). This said, I have a feeling it'll all be done through AppleCare anyway.
 

rpg

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Thanks again, yes I'd appreciate you letting me know how you get on. Just so I can get an idea of what to expect.

I spoke to the representative this morning, who then put me on to her supervisor once I explained the situation. He said he was aware of the rattling camera lens and that Apple's standard procedure to deal with this was to replace it. Despite the rep stating "Oh, I'll just go and double check that with my supervisor, but I'm fairly sure that's normal"...

Anyway, he seemed eager to rectify the situation for me and booked me in to a store in London to have it replaced. He was apologetic when I told him about the condition of the two replacement phones I had been sent (both the packaging of the devices, and the devices themselves). He also gave me his personal e-mail and told me to keep him up to date on the situation.

So I'm giving them another chance, as after going back to a spare iPhone 4 that I have the last few days, the iPhone 5 really is a superior device. The speed increase is worth it alone.

And just for reference:

  • Original purchased phone - Week 39 - Home button 'loose'
  • 2nd phone - Week 37 - Black aluminium rim machined incorrectly; marked
  • 3rd phone - Week 36 - Camera lens rattle
So I'm getting older replacements as time goes on! :rolleyes:
 
Soldato
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If this next one isn't any good, speak to them and request a CRU (Customer Replacement Unit) to be arranged. These are brand new, boxed units, and you'll get it within two working days guaranteed (often next day if ordered early enough). If AppleCare refuse to do this for whatever reason, demand to speak to Customer Relations, they will do it for you.

As for my refund, the local store manager has refused, so it's going through AppleCare. Even better for me; those £85 of vouchers that I originally had are now being refunded as cash!
 
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