Am I entitled to a refund?

pvakelly

Hi guys,

I bought a new iPhone in January of this year. Around April, I brought it back to he phone shop as it had developed a fault (a loose screen). It was sent for repair and ended up being replaced by apple.

The new phone started showing the exact same fault at the beginning of July and I decided to deal directly with Apple. I sent a video of the loose screen to the apple advisor I was dealing with and he, seeing the problem set up a repair. Sent the phone off but it came back promptly, with a letter explaining how the techs couldn't replicate the problem. My advisor apologised and set up another repair job, which had the same result as the first.

I'm getting really p*ssed off at this stage, and sick of being without a phone for up to a week at a time. Am I entitled to get a refund from the shop I originally bought the phone in at this stage?

whippet

If the phone is actually faulty yes the retailer should offer a remedy. They already have offered repair / replacement and according to you neither have been permanent .. so logically a refund shouldn't be out of the question.

However, I have a lot of experience of both iPhones and Apple Support and a couple of things don't seem to stack up in my opinion.

Firstly .. apple do not repair phones, if a phone is faulty under warranty it is replaced with what they say is a reconditioned unit (however in nearly all cases these are actually brand new units).

Secondly .. of the hundreds of iPhones I have come across (managing a company phone inventory) I have never come across a phone developing a loose screen (some other problems alright but not this one) and for a second replacement phone to develop the same fault is a coincidence too far.

Are you sure the retailer actually sent the original phone to apple? did they just attempt a repair themselves and the repair wasn't permanent? (BTW there is no official Apple service centre in ireland to repair iPhones)

If it was a replacement and developed the same loose screen problem could there be something external causing the problem - a cover/case ill fitting, car mount holder, back pocket and being sat on .. etc ?

Who is now advising that there isn't a problem .. Apple Authorised Service provider, Apple or just the retailer?

How sure are you that there is a fault?

pvakelly

When the original phone began to develop the loose screen, the retailer sent it to their repair center, who in turn, ordered the replacement phone from Apple.

When the second phone developed the fault, I got in touch with Apple Support in Cork. They organised to have it 'repaired' (I am aware of Apples policy on replacing as opposed to repairing, so I assumed the phone would be replaced.) and it was sent to the UK twice, being sent back each time, with an email explaining how they couldn't replicate the problem mentioned.

The Apple techs in the UK are advising that there isn't a problem, whereas the Support Adviser I'm dealing with has said the problem is clear, even from the video I sent him.

Nothing external is causing the problem, the phone cost nearly 600E so I can assure you I'm very careful with it!
From what I can see online, numerous people have had the same problem with this model (iPhone 5c), with some being on their 3rd/4th replacement, with the problem persisting.