Mobile phones & tablets thread

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by henners88

I just want to share my experience of Apple's customer service at their store in Cardiff yesterday. My wife has had a problem with her iphone 4 for the past few weeks where the button does not respond and takes a few presses to actually get any response. Its meant to take you back to the home screen and its rather annoying when you have to wiggle it around to get it to work. We phoned up Apple who booked us in with the Genius Bar in Cardiff Central at 10am yesterday morning. We strolled in where we were approached by a tiny gentleman (he was a midget) who was only too pleased to check us in. We waited a few minutes where we looked around their rather large store and were called to the bar at the back. We explained the problem and were met with the response:
Our mouths hit the desk and we said yes of course. My wife has just 3 weeks left of her 12 month warranty and she's getting a brand new phone. I asked if it was a refurbished model to which the answer was no, its a factory fresh model. We couldn't even get the problem to show itself to the assistant even though it had been doing it all morning but no questions were asked. Great service and although the phones are expensive, its service like this that sets them apart IMO. I had a HTC G2 Hero as my phone before the Incredible S and I had a hardware fault which was difficult to solve. HTC told me I had to send it off 3 times before I could be considered for a complete replacement. Apple's products might be slagged off and I admit I do that from time to time, but their support network is spot on.

The wife has backed up her data and we are heading back in this morning to pick her new iphone up.

---

If you look at the profit margin on an iPhone then it makes sense for them to give you a new one and keep you sweet and repair the old one which they'll still sell on for a handsome profit :)

Great service, and as Daniel points out obviously part of the business model, but it seems to vary so much. I know of people who've taken 6 or 7 month old handsets in only to be batted away with the old "water damage" excuse even though they haven't checked the internal sensors and it's well known that the external ones are triggered by such things as having the phone in your pocket, breathing on it when using the microphone, or living in dodgy climates such as most of northern Europe.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave B

Great service, and as Daniel points out obviously part of the business model, but it seems to vary so much. I know of people who've taken 6 or 7 month old handsets in only to be batted away with the old "water damage" excuse even though they haven't checked the internal sensors and it's well known that the external ones are triggered by such things as having the phone in your pocket, breathing on it when using the microphone, or living in dodgy climates such as most of northern Europe.

---

It should also be pointed out that other manufacturers do the same thing sometimes as well :)

Apple are well known for good service like this. After all most of what you are paying for is the operating system and the development of the phone. The hardware itself isn't that significant.

They also recognise it's critical to keep you as a customer as if you have a bad experience it means you'll change brands so they can't sell you new models and you wont buy apps etc.

It's good to know that when I inevitably water damage this phone, which I have with most of my phones! That I can replace it without having to pay the original purchase price again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark

Apple are well known for good service like this. After all most of what you are paying for is the operating system and the development of the phone. The hardware itself isn't that significant.

They also recognise it's critical to keep you as a customer as if you have a bad experience it means you'll change brands so they can't sell you new models and you wont buy apps etc.

It's good to know that when I inevitably water damage this phone, which I have with most of my phones! That I can replace it without having to pay the original purchase price again.

---

Like I said though, a lot of companies are going away from this. A work colleague smashed the phone on his HTC Desire and rather than getting it repaired and sent back to him, he simply paid a fee and he got a brand new phone.

As I say theres more to it than just the phone these days. It's not like they just sell you a phone and that's the last they hear of you any more.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by henners88

He was lucky there. HTC aren't the best for their customer service in my own experience and for others I know.

---

Dunno. Back when Microsoft launched the NoDo update for WP7 which bricked a few phones, they were giving out new handsets as replacements when I've known other manufacturers to sent out brick updates and force refurbs on people. That Apple are more consistent is a good thing it has to be said.

Officially Apple only do supply refurbs I think but in practice it's often new phones.

I had problems with my Nokia's and got refurbs in return which were often more broken than the previous ones.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mark

Officially Apple only do supply refurbs I think but in practice it's often new phones.

I had problems with my Nokia's and got refurbs in return which were often more broken than the previous ones.

---

Tbh a lot of Nokia's have just been broken and you inexplicably chose phones like the N97 for some reason :p

Whata mistaka to maka