There's a significant school of thought that... Windows' success happened because of Solitaire - Wendy M. Grossman
|
|
|
Watchdog takes on Apple's Iflops
WATCHDOG, the consumer champion, has taken on the Iphone, the consumer crack cocaine.
The Iphone has got the attention of Anne Robinson and friends because of its use of water damage indicators - a liquid contact indicator - on its outside. While most handsets have such indicators on the inside, since this is where moisture really does do damage, Apple in all its wisdom, sticks one on the headphone jack and one in the charger socket. It also has three inside the handset, but apparently never bothers to check them.
According to Watchdog (Iplayer link), when some users took faulty Iphones back to the Apple store they were told that since these indicators had turned red the phone was water damaged and thus fell outside warranty. Users would have to buy a new Iphone, they said, or we suspect take their broken one and hurl it through a window.
Watchdog spoke with some of these disgruntled users, who explained that they had never taken their Iphones swimming, nor used them in the shower or dropped them in a puddle. This does not seem to bother Apple store staff though, who the returnees said had taken one quick look at the litmus-like indicator, shrugged their shoulders and pointed them in the direction of the sales staff.
Unlike Apple, Watchdog took the backs off the Iphones and found that none of the internal indicators showed red. Worse than this, its hired engineers said, they found no evidence that they had been removed before, meaning that a quick glance at the outside was enough for Apple's store staff to wash their hands of faltering handsets.
Cementing this suggestion in secret filming, one worker told a Watchdog reporter that they never took the backs off the handsets to check internal indicators because they would "never get it sitting right". Whatever that means.
Watchdog took to the streets and asked fifteen Iphone users to check their handsets for the rotten red core of death and found three had them. The users were predictably shocked about the whole warranty thing. But disappointingly none thrashed the phone with a stick live on telly.
The television show suggested that merely a damp palm could release an Iphone from its warranty, but in response Apple made some wooly comment about always checking its Iphones.
We suggest that if you have such an indicator gone red and a faulty phone you should arm yourself with the facts and apply antiperspirant to your palms before heading back to the shop.
And make Apple's staff "geniuses" check the Iphone's internal indicators before letting them even think of telling you it's rubbish and that's somehow your fault. µ
Share this:
Share
I thought this sounded familiar.
Sounds like some AT&T store staff have since transferred to Apple Stores.
If you see them acting as useless occupiers of space, then it is confirmed.
AT&T employees have invaded Apple stores.
To tell if it is just a cross trained Apple employee or a full fledged AT&Tite, see if they take to time to talk to your rudely or simply walk away from as you to the employee break room as you try to approach them with a reasonable question!
I could be mistaken, and maybe they have started cross-breeding.
To quote Sheldon from 'Big Bang Theory':
I asked myself what is the most mind-numbing, pedestrian job conceivable and three answers came to mind: a toll booth employees, an Apple store genius, and what Penny does. Because I don't like touch other peoples' coins and I refuse to contribute to the devaluation of the word genius, here I am.
...my wife dropped her iPhone in a puddle and completely submerged it some time last year (she just told me last week!), and it's continued to work just fine. Oh, and a little side comment--if you consider yourself an Apple "fanboy" or "hater", then I'd suggest that you have more than a little bit too much emotional investment in a collection of inanimate objects. The iPhone does what it does very well, and it's a lot of fun, but that's about it.
...the mactards are busy queuing up behind the machaters, who appear to have been in a hurry to post their negative drivel early.
Zealots? Pots & Kettles? You lot are bad as each other. And the author doesn't do his credibility any favours calling them iflops (even when volumes sales say otherwise).
And before you leap in with some more drivel, sorry no...in the truest sense of fence-sitting, I own a blackberry. I might be 5 years behind the curve, but nobody can truthfully accuse me of evangelism for any of the more modern smartphones (ie Google or Apple). And I'm in no hurry to go with either of them at this rate.
Come on, wtf? A hugely successful phone and you name it iflop? Please pull head out of ass and maybe see the world for it's non-virtual self.
Come on, wtf? A hugely successful phone and you name it iflop? Please pull head out of ass and maybe see the world for it's non-virtual self.
Why are Iphone so fragile anyway? I've dropped my htc in a puddle before, while it was on, it's fine, I've dropped it onto concrete many times, it's even gone for a trip down the stairs. All it has to show for all that is a few dents and cracks in the plastic but it still works fine.
"Where are all the MACtards who normally comment on every article with even a hint of negative Apple news?"
Maybe because there actually ARE some facts behind this one, not the usual "FOXCONN EMPLOYEE COMMITS SUICIDE MUST BE APPLES' FAULT" bullshit.
Why can't Apple make make it water resistant?
Casio makes just such a phone, and I'd love it if they'd make an Android Device.
You might want to re-read the first comment: "My wife had let our then 10 month old son play with her iphone."
Now, that is not really considered regular usage, is it? If you are a parent, give your kid a proper toy, made of plastic, but not an iphone... puhlease.
What do you expect from a 10 month old baby, make phone calls?
PS: I have two kids and I am not an apple fan.
CONSIDERING YOUR IDEA OF PROCREATION IS FAPPING TO APPLE PRODUCTS YOU WOULDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT LIFE IS LIKE WITH KIDS WOULD YOU?
KTHXBAI
Whille I don't agree with Apple refusing repairs only on the evidence of external moisture detectors, did you honestly think that a phone mistreated by your baby qualified for a warranty repair?
It happened to me last year with the iPhone 3G. The Apple store employees checked the outside indicator at the charger said the warranty was void (I had even purchased a 3 year extended warranty) and it would cost $400 for a replacement.
It took a lot of persistence with their level two phone support for them to mail me a replacement at no charge.
Of course, the phone had never been near water. I am just waiting for the two year contract to be up so I can move to a non-Apple phone like the Droid Incredible. The whole experience has turned me off Apple products.
Where are all the MACtards who normally comment on every article with even a hint of negative Apple news? Me thinks that in the face of undeniable proof or evidence of Apple shady business practices they put their fingers in their collective ears and hum "LA LA LA, I hear nothing" and pretend it didn't happen. Guess what zealots, M$ isn't the only evil empire, just the biggest.
PS. Was it me or did the answers from the so called geniuses sound a LOT like Geek Squad "Agents"?
Because I will never by an Apple product - EVER!
My wife had let our then 10 month old son play with her iphone. (Thinking it could take a beating.) When i went to meet her, he had her iphone in his mouth and had been slinging it across the floor. Needless to say it was working on paritally.
I took it to the Apple store, and a Genius in training, showed me the indicator in the earphone jack, and said that that indicated water damage that voided any warranty, and that she would have to buy a whole new phone. (My wife, already kind of PO'd as Apple, didn't want to do that.)
I looked online for an iphone repair place. I found one, can't remember the name and they fixed it for less than the cost of a new phone.
I made a point of talking to the engineer tech who made the repair, asking him what had been done, etc. I asked him if there was any water damage, as he had taken the phone apart. He confirmed that there was NO water damage at all. The phones mother board had to be replaced, but there were no signs of water inside the device!!
I don't know. My son WAS sucking on the end of the iphone, which could have caused the sensor to change. He WAS throwing it across the room, which probably did the damage.
I think they need to reevaluate that sensor.
Apple will invalidate a warranty if there's just the tiniest dent on their aluminum laptops. Should there be a hairline crack on one of their plastic computers they will send the customer packing.
Apple will use the most minuscule of excuses to cancel their "Apple Care".
So are those people interviewed all the criminal liars that us pundits alluded to.
The fanboys always blamed the user until now!