iPhone 8 plus - failed NFC chip

[Chives]

Hi all,

Over the weekend the NFC chip in my iPhone 8 Plus has failed. Apple Pay and anything else reliant on the chip is no longer working. Spoke to Apple via live chat who took me through the troubleshooting and then advised me to take it into the Apple store. They promptly ran some diagnostics and the NFC chip is indeed faulty, despite my best efforts they refused to replace the phone without a hefty (£380) charge.

Do I have any other options? The phone is otherwise fine, but the NFC chip not working is a right pain.

Cheers

 

[mrochester]

Hi all,

Over the weekend the NFC chip in my iPhone 8 Plus has failed. Apple Pay and anything else reliant on the chip is no longer working. Spoke to Apple via live chat who took me through the troubleshooting and then advised me to take it into the Apple store. They promptly ran some diagnostics and the NFC chip is indeed faulty, despite my best efforts they refused to replace the phone without a hefty (£380) charge.

Do I have any other options? The phone is otherwise fine, but the NFC chip not working is a right pain.

Cheers

Apple Watch?

 

[Squink]

Sellotape your credit card to the back of the phone. If anyone asks, tell them it’s a dbrand skin.

 

[Chives]

Apple Watch?

Would be an option if I just needed Apple Pay, but I also use the NFC chip to read my blood sugars levels (I'm T1 Diabetic) via a sensor on my arm. A quick google reveals Apple Watch can't (at least yet) do this.

Its a real quality of life thing that I'm already missing so may just have to pay out for a new phone, though very reluctant when the iPhone 12 is so close. I do have mobile phone insurance, so have submitted a claim and see what they say.

 

[Alpherah]

If the phone is out of warranty Apple have no choice but to charge to replace.

If it’s damage free, and less then two years usually you have a good chance of getting it covered under consumer rights

 

[Chives]

Unfortunately, it is more than 2 years old. Do they have no ability to show discretion outside of that?

 

[MassiveJim]

Unfortunately, it is more than 2 years old. Do they have no ability to show discretion outside of that?

Everyone has the ability, but Apple just have no desire to do it. Their entire business model revolves around selling you a new device every 2 years.

 

[Alpherah]

Unfortunately, it is more than 2 years old. Do they have no ability to show discretion outside of that?

Where was it purchased?
Apple technicians are allowed to cover under 2 years as long as purchased from Apple directly.
Otherwise, similar to other companies, you need to make a legal claim and prove the fault was there from purchase and not of your making which considering impact (blunt impact, which won’t break glass) can cause this issue ...
Good luck with that one

 

[Chives]

Where was it purchased?
Apple technicians are allowed to cover under 2 years as long as purchased from Apple directly.
Otherwise, similar to other companies, you need to make a legal claim and prove the fault was there from purchase and not of your making which considering impact (blunt impact, which won’t break glass) can cause this issue ...
Good luck with that one

Apple, the original phone was stolen (replaced by insurance) and then that insurance phone was replaced by Apple (this was all within the 1 year warranty period) as it developed a fault.

I won't pretend I've not dropped it at all over the last two years but it has always been in a reasonably robust case, and I haven't dropped it recently that I can recall. I suspect I'm out of options then, insurance it is

 

[Alpherah]

In this instance, insurance replacements usually don’t come with any consumer rights as they tend to be refurbished

the fact it was replaced by Apple doesn’t transfer liability to Apple

 

[Chives]

For future reference, is there any way around that problem? The obvious answer is don't get your phone stolen

But should the worst happen again, do Apple/anyone else offer insurance coverage that maintains those rights?

 

[Alpherah]

In the US Apple do a loss and theft cover but not over here yet.

Otherwise read the terms closely and look for an insurance which allows you to replace yourself directly - iirc Barclays used to allow this under their home insurance but not their “tech pack” bank add on

 

[Chives]

I had a quick Google round, but no immediate result - warrants some further research I think.

Filed a claim with the insurance company, and after they saw the Genius Bar report they are happy to repair/replace the phone.

I'd probably rather a replacement, is the NFC chip repairable?

 

[Alpherah]

NFC chip can be replaced but it won’t work as it’s paired to the Secure Enclave on the processor so then the logic board needs to be replaced but they can only be paired at the factory so yes replacement device is the only choice really.

make sure it’s not a Boj-job refurb they send you though

 

[Chives]

Understood. What are the things I should be looking out for / checking when I receive the replacement?

 

[Alpherah]

Display is the most common component which is refurbished, along with battery.

For the display look for colour accuracy (compare to a new SE as it’s the same display in a shop or Apple store)

Check the edges of the display to ensure it “curves” to the enclosure edges .. again third party display tends to be flat and end abruptly.


You could book a Genius Bar appointment, get them to check the serial/imei history - there will be a Apple depot case in the history if it was refurbed professionally by Apple.
They can screen internally for battery too.

 

[Chives]

Understood. Will Apple mind me booking an appointment for that purpose? My question then is if the parts aren't genuine / its a boj-job, am I within my rights to push back and insist on a proper refurb?

Its with a fairly legit insurance company, so fingers crossed...

Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated

 

[Alpherah]

Looking at their terms and conditions, their repairs and replacements are third party refurbished.

Working in my job most of these are terrible at worst, and not close to original quality at best but there’s nothing in the policy which allows you to demand an apple supplied replacement.

 

[Chives]

Mm, not ideal! I will report back when I receive the replacement. If its bad, it might be new iPhone time when the new one is released.

Whats your job?

 

[Chives]

So just received my replacement. All seems well except a slightly worn down (88%) battery which I can sort in due course.

NFC seemed to be working just fine and I was able to read my blood sugars as normal using the app

However, having now placed the phone back in its case, its stopped working again I have no idea why - have spoken to the company who make the app/sensors for support and they're not sure so are escalating it. I should hear back tomorrow.

In the meantime I'm going to go through the usual (factory reset) troubleshooting to see what I can do. Any ideas welcome as i'm at a dead end with this!