Help: Need info on screen issue swap

[Michael Baturin]

Ok so my iPhone has been acting funny lately. Besides calls not coming through, it has lost sensitivity on about a 1/2 inch strip an inch from the top. This is a big issue as fields such as Last Name when making a new contact are unclickable. When holding my finger and scrolling through contacts, as I pass that strip, you can clearly see it stop moving for that 1/2 inch or so.

So my question is this. I bought the iPhone at an AT&T store near me on June 29th. It was direct fulfillment which means they would ship it to me asap. Got it the following Wednesday. I cannot find the receipt and I use the vmoda headphones. I sold my Ipod Video and because the headphones that came with it were broken (blown out) I gave the guy my iPhone headphones which I know was a mistake. So here I am with the iPhone Box, dock, USB Cable, AC charger, and broken iPhone, with no receipt.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do. I was thinking about going to the AT&T store to see if they will print me another receipt. Should I take it to the Apple store or the AT&T store where I bought it? Will they take it without a receipt? I tried to print out my history from commerceonline (my banking) but history only goes to 7/23.

 

[Redfor]

Since the AT&T store asks for your phone number when you purchase any item, they should have it on file. So I would go see them first, far as if they will send it in for repair or exchange it... I dunno.. Since it's past 30 days they will probably want to send it in for repair... but Worth a try to get it exchanged.

If they are going to exchange it, but ask about missing parts, just have them keep the new pieces that are missing.

 

[Michael Baturin]

Since the AT&T store asks for your phone number when you purchase any item, they should have it on file. So I would go see them first, far as if they will send it in for repair or exchange it... I dunno.. Since it's past 30 days they will probably want to send it in for repair... but Worth a try to get it exchanged.

If they are going to exchange it, but ask about missing parts, just have them keep the new pieces that are missing.

I called 1800MYIPHON and they told me I can go through them and be sent a box to get it shipped out in, and they would charge me $30 for a replacement. There is no way I am paying $30, I have read online people have gotten out of paying this fee. Any ideas on how I could get out of it, short of going in and giving them a piece of my mind?

 

[petalmom]

If you're not willing to pay the $30, you could go without the replacement. I don't think it's required that you take it?

 

[Michael Baturin]

No your not but as far as i've seen. They take the phone, charge you $30, then they ship you a new one. So basically they are taking $30 from you for a new phone. This seems a little ridiculous to me. Looks like the insurance policy you pay for on other phones. But "paying for a manufacturers warranty" (which is what the $30 looks like to me) AFTER paying $600 for the phone? Am I the only one that thinks this looks fishy.

 

[petalmom]

No, the $30 is for the phone that they will send for you to use while yours is being repaired. It's like rent for the loaner phone.

 

[Michael Baturin]

Just got back from the "genius bar." First off, let me just tell you, they are far from geniuses.

I know this is probably the third time you have read this statement but I have been using Apples, literally, since I was 5-10 years old. My parents bought me my first Apple2GS (well the family) way back then. Since, I have had TONS of mac products and have always been completely and utterly pleased with not only the service of Apple but the quality of their products.

I don't think they were ready to enter the mobile phone world.

Suddenly my screen is non-responsive in about a 1inch chunk. Calls begin to connect only part of the time, same goes for outgoing calls. All this after 1.0.2 upadte (linked? maybe).

So here's the deal. I go into Apple store, and am greeted with the can I help you from the "genius" (note: I will continue to put genius in "" and you will find out why). I show and explain the problem and am immediately told I will have to pay $30 for a loaner (if i chose to use one). I explain that I read online many people had the $30 fee waived and I don't feel I should have to pay seeing as I spent $640 on the phone as well. They tell me this has never been done and they cannot under any circumstance waive the fee.

I then explain I will be leaving for school in 2 days, and I will not be able to pick the phone up. I kindly ask if it would be possible to have the phone shipped to my house in North Jersey, (about 1 & 1/2 hours from there), and I will ship the loaner back; hell they have my Credit card number. They refuse. I then proceed to ask a few more questions. First, will the iPhone returned, if new, be the same screen model as my old iPhone. I believe the 5 series to be of better quality, whether its true or not. The "genius" has no clue in hell what I am talking about. I explain it to him and waste my breath as he replies "nothings guaranteed." I then ask, "can I delete the contents of my phone real quick before I give it to you (i have some sensitive stuff saved in there). He says, "No you cannot do that from the phone itself, it has to be plugged into a computer." I then show him how I can in fact do it, and I proceed to at which he says "Oh cool."

At this point the whole Apple vs PC commercial is starting to play in my head at which point I am thinking wow, the laid back Apple look is cool, but only if they are the "Hey were laid back but still smart" look, not the "Hey im cool looking but know nothing so buy my crap" look. Well that being said, I felt like I was talking to my grandfather....

And now the grand finale. He pulls out a BRAND NEW, yes, brand new iPhone, and rips the plastic off. He then proceeds to switch my sim. I ask, well if you are opening up a new iPhone to give me as a loaner, why not just take that one, and let me keep this one, seeing as how no matter what happens from that point on, Apple will not be making the full price on that phone. He then says, "It's only a phone, man."

I am a nice, outgoing, fun, calm person. But please, do not disrespect me. I took it like a man and just told him there is no reason to be disrespectful at which time he aplogized, (should have beat his face in with the new iPhone).

So, either they sell the brand new iPhone they gave me, (when I return it) as refurbished in which even with the $30 I paid they still lose $40, or they sell it as NEW, which I HOPE they would not do, seeing as how they are, Apple?

I'm still a loyal Apple fan, and iPhone fan, but if no one else can see this insanity, I guess i need some pills or something cause it looks real fricken crazy to me. Anyways, now I wait to see what happens and mod the (fill in the blank) out of the brand new iPhone I was given.

God this is dumb.