Dead iPhone 4 & the joys of 3 customer service

Faker74

I know this will be more of a rant than anything else, but isn't that what boards.ie is for?

So I ordered my iPhone 4 16gb online in the early hours of the 30th, it arrives the following Tuesday, I rush home from work eager to get my new toy running, but it was dead.

I call Apple for assitance, they were deadly, vey helpful, but the phone has a hardware problem and needs to be replaced. They tell me as I bought it from three they will have o replace it, but if I have any problems with that come back to Apple.

So next day I go into a three store, and they tell me they would replace it but can't as it is bought online and I need to talk to customer services to get a new phone.

So I spend the next day and a half being passed from person to person in Three, some helpful, some completely clueless, they all agree the phone needs to be replace but no one seems to know how. Finally one guy tells me to go to one of their repair centres and they will give me my replacement.

Grand

So I go to the repair centre, explain the situation, lad here is very helpful and explains they will have no stock until Monday, and chances are what stock they do get will be refurbished. He says he will give me a refurbished phone if I am happy with that but obviously I am entitled to a new phone and to ring 3 to get it.

So I'm back on to customer care, who tell me to go back to the same repair centre for a new phone, because the iPhone 4 is only out a week so how can the stock be refurbished. (Ignoring the fact that the refurb stock will probably come from the UK where the phone has been out about a month)


So I call Apple again like they said to do if I had problems with three. The apple guys again are super helpful and say they can replace the phone in one of two ways. Send my a package to put my iPhone into and ship back to them, they will try and repair it or if they can't send me a brand new phone(this can take 5-10 working days). Or two, pay 29 pounds and they will send a new phone and take the old one away (this will take 2-3 working days)

So my options are:
1) Wait to Monday and take a possibly refurbished phone
2) Risk being with out the phone for 1 -2 weeks while apple try and repair
3) Spend 29 pounds on top of the 209 euro the phone cost to get the phone replaced by Tuesday, maybe Wednesday


All the while I am without ANY mobile.

What would you do... I'm currently working on option 4 going quite mad.

phill106

Just demand a full refund from store. Ask to speak to manager. Dont leave untill its sorted.
so was phone doa?

Faker74

Cn't demand a refund from the store, as I bought it online and the retail shops can't deal with it.

Phone wasn't completely dead on arrival, connected to itunes it started the activation process then died. Like I said, went through all the steps with Apple tech support and they say it's definitely an issue with the phone.

guil

bear in mind, to take the express option with apple, ya have to give them a cc number that they can put a hold of 500 euro on until they get ur broken one back

cyberspi

you sure the £29 isnt returned once they recive your handset? read somewhere it was just a security...

guil

ring up consumer connect and ask them what to do

guil

cyberspi wrote: »

you sure the £29 isnt returned once they recive your handset? read somewhere it was just a security...

yeah thats a charge for the service, i was goin to do it a few months ago but hadnt got a cc, i was on the phone to apple at the time

Faker74

cyberspi wrote: »

you sure the £29 isnt returned once they recive your handset? read somewhere it was just a security...

No, the 500 euro hold on the credit card is the security, the £29 is a charge for the express service.

Wish there was an offical Apple store in Ireland, from what I've read on forums form people living places that have them you can just easily walk in and get a product replaced if entitled to that, regards of how you bought it.

akadesign

Would option 3 give you a sim free phone?

I know what your going through mate, I got a faulty modem off 3 a while back and was passed around. The only way I got my money back was to walk in and demand a refund then wait there for over three hours while they get onto customer care.

Thankfully enlightened me as to how crap their customer service was so it's safe to say I wouldn't get a phone with these chancers.

Faker74

I know, I heard before I signed up that the prices were cheap but the customer service is terrible.

I thought to myself "But sure if the phone works I shouldn't need to deal with their customer service" -result - dead phone

bprob

Faker74 wrote: »

I know, I heard before I signed up that the prices were cheap but the customer service is terrible.

I thought to myself "But sure if the phone works I shouldn't need to deal with their customer service" -result - dead phone

i was with three up to about 2 years ago.
customer services were abominable, beyond bad

final straw was them claiming not to have received a €100 payment for 6 months, despite letters from my bank proving the money moved from my account to theirs.

never ever using any of their services again! nearly stopped listening to ian dempsey in the morning cos they sponsor him, and now they are sponsoring the irish soccer team!! :-)

artielange

Depending on the 500 charge on the cc and able to cover it I would pay the 29 pounds and get my nice new phone working and in my hands....then fight to get the money off of 3....at least I'd have my phone. I feel for you best of luck.

quintron

If you get a sim free phone from apple, I would pay the £29.

alexmcred

Apple have just sent me a replacement iPhone 4 and its a refurb they don't sent out new phones as replacements but you may be lucky. Sent back a week 29 one and received a week 26 one as replacement.

also if you kick up enough Apple will wave the 29 fee but will still want the CC to hold the 500.

Suppose this does men they will have sent me a fully unlocked phone though although no way to test it

Faker74

If that is the case, i may as well wait til Monday and take whatever the repair centre has

SteveRing24

Hi

Its probably to late for this but I work for Fones 4U, a franchise of 3, and if I was you I'd keep ringing and ringing its a free phone number and its an expensive phone so dont settle for anything less than a replacement.

Below are a copy of the term for returns when buying online or over the phone:

If you bought your mobile from the 3Store online or through our telesales:

3 operates a returns procedure in compliance with the European Communities (Protection of Consumers in Respect of Contracts made by means of Distance Communications) Regulations, 2001 (as amended) (Distance Selling Regulations). If you wish to exercise your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations, please refer to the documentation supplied by 3 prior to and at the time of sale and/or delivery of your device.

3 also offers a 14 Day money back Guarantee entitling customers to return the device within 14 days of purchase. The 14 Day money back Guarantee only applies to customers who have experienced verifiable network coverage issues as confirmed by 3. For more information, please see three.ie/coverage.

If the device is faulty (i.e. within the terms of the manufacturer's warranty and not due to customer damage) you have 28 days from date of purchase to return it to 3. You should contact Customer Services on 1913 to arrange return and it must be returned in its original box with everything it came with.

3's 14 Day money back Guarantee and 28 day return policy do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer

Please contact Customer Services on 1913 from any Irish phone.

BBMcQ

SteveRing24 wrote: »

3's 14 Day money back Guarantee and 28 day return policy do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.

Thanks for the info, hope 3 know that your statutory rights as a consumer are to buy a product of merchantable quality fit for the purpose intented and for it to work without fault for a "reasonable" length of time (for a mobile phone you could argue to be 1-2 years).

Sure as hell your cash doesn't lose its warranty after 14 days!

squonk

I got a phone sent out from Apple also as a replacement for the one I bought on o2. That one had a dodgy camera. My previous one was a week 30 phone, the current one is a week 31. Didn't realise it was a refurb, but if it is, then there was no obvious way to tell. the phone was spotless and works perfectly.
The model is so new, a refurb shouldn't matter I'd imagine.

zbizness

Hi Every One

Great thread, very informative. Seems the best thing to do is just go to one of Three's service center's!

I have the same issue with my new iPhone 4. Owned it for six weeks now and it has kept dropping out (turning it self off). I have always been able to turn it back on so I never gave it much thought as this has happened with other brands as well, until it dropped out yesterday and I have not been able to turn it on at all. Not from the switch on the phone, the USB port from the charger or itunes.

As we have all discovered Three's customer service is not the greatest! In fact they could not even give me a list of the service centers in Dublin.

Can any one enlighten me to a list of available service centers in Dublin?

I live in Ashbourne, so any on the North-side would be handy.

Cheers,

Shane

naasrd

zbizness wrote: »

Can any one enlighten me to a list of available service centers in Dublin?

I live in Ashbourne, so any on the North-side would be handy
Shane

Shane, re powering it on; hold the home and on button down for 10 seconds or until you see the Apple logo. It should turn on for you.

phill106

zbizness wrote: »

Hi Every One

Great thread, very informative. Seems the best thing to do is just go to one of Three's service center's!

I have the same issue with my new iPhone 4. Owned it for six weeks now and it has kept dropping out (turning it self off). I have always been able to turn it back on so I never gave it much thought as this has happened with other brands as well, until it dropped out yesterday and I have not been able to turn it on at all. Not from the switch on the phone, the USB port from the charger or itunes.

As we have all discovered Three's customer service is not the greatest! In fact they could not even give me a list of the service centers in Dublin.

Can any one enlighten me to a list of available service centers in Dublin?

I live in Ashbourne, so any on the North-side would be handy.

Cheers,

Shane

No apple service centres in ireland, ring apple support, they will send a packet for you to send phone back to them in. You get phone back in a few days then.