So annoyed about this!

barleybooley

Okay guys, need a bit of a rant and some to advise me on my next POA:

Bought an iPhone 4 on Saturday November 30 in 3 in Liffey Valley. Hopped on a bus and got back to Mayo Saturday evening. Took the thing out of the box, registered it and did all that nonsense with it and then looked to see who rang me. I discovered, while returning my calls (one of which was to my mother who I could hear downstairs going "hello, hello Michelle? Why are you ringing me?") that when I made a call I could hear no dial tone and I couldn't hear anyone on the other end, the line was just blank. It made calls but what was the point if I couldn't hear them and they couldn't hear me?
Anyway, duly got on the landline to 3's helpline and they told me I had to go directly to Apple. I did this and they sent me out an email confirming my details peppered with errors i.e. my town was spelled completely wrong, 's's where 'f's should be *sigh* and no county, how was the poor courier ever supposed to reach me? Rang them back for them to tell me that I had to take it up with UPS so I then rang UPS only to listen to loads of "Your call is important to us" and some 80's cheese with which I wasn't familiar. Eventually got talking to someone only to be told that this had to be taken up with Apple. Rang Apple back, rectified errors with address and eventually got going.
Courier arrives Thursday evening and I send the damn thing back. I then got this email this morning:

Our technicians have performed full diagnostic checks on your IPHONE 4 and have been unable to reproduce the symptom(s) you reported when you requested service. As a result of our tests, we can confirm that your product meets Apple specifications for performance, usability, and functionality.

As part of our assessment and test procedures, your product has had the latest software and firmware updates installed. It is now being returned to you, and you should expect to receive it within two business days along with a letter that provides details about our assessment.

So now I have to wait until Thursday to get it back so I can send it back to them again. Needless to say, I am raging. I think I should write a serious letter of complaint about this because not alone am I without a phone for a week (and without a primary phone functionality for over a week) I'm also being told I'm a liar and I'll be without it again for another week when I do send it back when it's eventually returned to me and all the while I'm paying for it with bill pay. Any suggestions?

TL;DR? Apple are a shower of gombeens.

whiterebel

They didn't call you a liar, they said they couldn't replicate the fault. Why don't you calm down and wait until you get it back in your hand and try it first? Could be that you may have missed something initially and that it works ok. Most people seem to have been treated ok by Apple's CS, although why some addresses still seem to cause a problem, I'll never know.

phill106

Did you take the plastic sheet off front of the phone? Not being cheeky, but its a common error.

vinnycoyne

Serious question: did you remove the plastic film covering the screen when you got the phone?

A lot of people have reported this same problem and it turned out that the plastic was covering the earpiece.

drunkmonkey

Sounds like a setting on the phone or a sim problem. OP is right, calm down and wait for it to come back.
If you talk to 3 they might refund you for the time your without the phone if there was no usage on the sim.

Gumbo

phill106 wrote: »

Did you take the plastic sheet off front of the phone? Not being cheeky, but its a common error.

happened me when i first bought my IP4 and that was even after owning a 3GS....... even more

barleybooley

Yeah, definitely took the plastic off the front (it's the first thing I did as I love pulling them off ). When I rang 3, they said go into 'Settings' and then do x, y and z which I did and they did test calls and whatever but still nothing. It plays music fine, games sounds are fine on it, even the keypad makes beeps when I press numbers, it's just I can't hear a dial tone or anyone when they pick and they can't hear me.

Quackles

I recently went through a similar experience with apple, here's how I figure it happened. I rang them to change the courier address, they said they couldn't change it but re-raised it. Courier arrived anyway at the incorrect address, took the phone, second courier never arrived. Meanwhile, because she had cancelled the first order, no-one looked at it at all, it was just turned around and sent back to me. Not saying this excuses them, just that if they get the address wrong, this seems to happen when you try to resolve it. My customer care person TOLD me no-one had looked at it in spite of what that email said, the turnaround time was far too fast, a matter of hours.

justindublin

.... Mobiles Don't Have Dial Tones.

iPhone 4 has a known fault with the 'MUTE' button getting hit by your cheek so it could be that causing other people not to hear you.

As for you not being able to hear them... maybe their using an iPhone 4 too :pac:

If Apple tested it and say its fine, my guess would be either with the network or user so just triple check everything and try another sim.

Badgermonkey

Check the mic by hitting Utilities>Voice Memos

Try using Skype App to make a test call to their automated service to test earpiece.

If no luck get an apple rep to talk you through a simple firmware update.

If you've still trouble Three need to sort it.

barleybooley

justindublin wrote: »

.... Mobiles Don't Have Dial Tones.

Sorry, I meant the tone when it's ringing but the person hasn't picked up yet, the ring-ring-blank-ring-ring-blank, that tone is not audible. Also, it doesn't work on loudspeaker so it's through no fault of my cheek. I'll see what tomorrow/Thursday brings when I get it back but I'm not feeling overly optimistic

Johnmb

barleybooley wrote: »

Sorry, I meant the tone when it's ringing but the person hasn't picked up yet, the ring-ring-blank-ring-ring-blank, that tone is not audible. Also, it doesn't work on loudspeaker so it's through no fault of my cheek. I'll see what tomorrow/Thursday brings when I get it back but I'm not feeling overly optimistic

It doesn't work on the loudspeaker either? That means it not working on two speakers, I'm sure Apple would have copped that if it were the phone. Get a new sim from Three, maybe they did something silly like supplying a data sim instead of a phone/data sim. If that doesn't work then get the shop to replace it, maybe they have a branch closer to home that you can go to.

banquo

When she reported the problem to Three they sent her on to Apple. I've a feeling they may do the same again.

Now, I'm an Apple fanboy of the highest, most disgusting order. But this is pretty poor form. The sound on the phone works except when making a call. So something is wrong.

I've had unbelievably great service from Apple in the past - my mother's iPad broke and within two hours they had dispatched a replacement from Cork to Dublin.

The phone doesn't work. If it's Three's fault then they shouldn't have passed her along to Apple but recognised the symptoms as one that is the carrier's problem to fix. If Apple really checked out the phone, they would have either encountered the same problem as the user, and either fixed it or said "We can't, Three have to fix this," which is fair enough. But neither happened.

By the time this phone gets fixed - if ever - it will have gone to Three, Apple and probably Three again. And by then she will the 75% along the way to her first bill. And it's not a cheap phone to begin with.

It's not working and it's not the user's fault. Poor form I say.

whiterebel

banquo wrote: »

When she reported the problem to Three they sent her on to Apple. I've a feeling they may do the same again.

Now, I'm an Apple fanboy of the highest, most disgusting order. But this is pretty poor form. The sound on the phone works except when making a call. So something is wrong.

I've had unbelievably great service from Apple in the past - my mother's iPad broke and within two hours they had dispatched a replacement from Cork to Dublin.

The phone doesn't work. If it's Three's fault then they shouldn't have passed her along to Apple but recognised the symptoms as one that is the carrier's problem to fix. If Apple really checked out the phone, they would have either encountered the same problem as the user, and either fixed it or said "We can't, Three have to fix this," which is fair enough. But neither happened.

By the time this phone gets fixed - if ever - it will have gone to Three, Apple and probably Three again. And by then she will the 75% along the way to her first bill. And it's not a cheap phone to begin with.

It's not working and it's not the user's fault. Poor form I say.

The OP hasn't been back to say what happened. The OP did seem to be preparing for 4 stages down the road, rather than waiting to see if it was fixed.

banquo

Been in contact with OP. Came back exactly as it left, I.E not working. (not being bitchy, there's no way anyone here could have known that!)

Apple say it's fine, though in practice it's clearly not. Been through every possibility in terms of using the phone with the op, it's definitely broken.

Suggested next steps?

guil

have a look at post 9. i'd say thats what happened to the OP

whiterebel

banquo wrote: »

Been in contact with OP. Came back exactly as it left, I.E not working. (not being bitchy, there's no way anyone here could have known that!)

Apple say it's fine, though in practice it's clearly not. Been through every possibility in terms of using the phone with the op, it's definitely broken.

Suggested next steps?

Send it back again then, it seems there has been crossed wires with this somewhere. Apple are normally very good with repairs sent back to them.

uprising2

barleybooley wrote: »

Okay guys, need a bit of a rant and some to advise me on my next POA:

Bought an iPhone 4 on Saturday November 30 in 3 in Liffey Valley. Hopped on a bus and got back to Mayo Saturday evening. Took the thing out of the box, registered it and did all that nonsense with it and then looked to see who rang me. I discovered, while returning my calls (one of which was to my mother who I could hear downstairs going "hello, hello Michelle? Why are you ringing me?") that when I made a call I could hear no dial tone and I couldn't hear anyone on the other end, the line was just blank. It made calls but what was the point if I couldn't hear them and they couldn't hear me?
Anyway, duly got on the landline to 3's helpline and they told me I had to go directly to Apple. I did this and they sent me out an email confirming my details peppered with errors i.e. my town was spelled completely wrong, 's's where 'f's should be *sigh* and no county, how was the poor courier ever supposed to reach me? Rang them back for them to tell me that I had to take it up with UPS so I then rang UPS only to listen to loads of "Your call is important to us" and some 80's cheese with which I wasn't familiar. Eventually got talking to someone only to be told that this had to be taken up with Apple. Rang Apple back, rectified errors with address and eventually got going.
Courier arrives Thursday evening and I send the damn thing back. I then got this email this morning:

Our technicians have performed full diagnostic checks on your IPHONE 4 and have been unable to reproduce the symptom(s) you reported when you requested service. As a result of our tests, we can confirm that your product meets Apple specifications for performance, usability, and functionality.

As part of our assessment and test procedures, your product has had the latest software and firmware updates installed. It is now being returned to you, and you should expect to receive it within two business days along with a letter that provides details about our assessment.

So now I have to wait until Thursday to get it back so I can send it back to them again. Needless to say, I am raging. I think I should write a serious letter of complaint about this because not alone am I without a phone for a week (and without a primary phone functionality for over a week) I'm also being told I'm a liar and I'll be without it again for another week when I do send it back when it's eventually returned to me and all the while I'm paying for it with bill pay. Any suggestions?

TL;DR? Apple are a shower of gombeens.

banquo wrote: »

Been in contact with OP. Came back exactly as it left, I.E not working. (not being bitchy, there's no way anyone here could have known that!)

Apple say it's fine, though in practice it's clearly not. Been through every possibility in terms of using the phone with the op, it's definitely broken.

Suggested next steps?

Call her up on the 29th and tell her not to buy an iphone from 3 tomorrow:D

Seriously she should just go to her nearest 3 store with proof of purchase, demand a working phone or the money back.
http://www.three.ie/store/index.htm

Johnmb

Has the OP tried it with a different sim? If its something that only happened once in a while, then Apple could have missed it, but if it is happening all the time I can't see how Apple would have missed it if it was the phone. Apple are highly unlikely to perform diagnostics with the users sim, imagine the complaints when the bill came in! They tested the phone, with their own tools, they reckon it is fine, that really just leaves 3 as the most likely culprit. Change the sim, and make sure the account hasn't somehow been switched to a data only account. If the speakers are working with everything other than phone calls, then that seems the most likely (and definitely the simplest) explanation.

banquo

Only trouble with changing the sim is that it's s microsim and they're not as readily available. Also, the op is in Mayo where - and this is true - not 1 of the 3 Three stores has a telephone you can ring. Delicious ironing.

Change of sim it is, so! Thanks everyone!

banquo

Only trouble with changing the sim is that it's s microsim and they're not as readily available. Also, the op is in Mayo where - and this is true - not 1 of the 3 Three stores has a telephone you can ring. Delicious ironing.

Change of sim it is, so! Thanks everyone!

Quackles

My money is still on same issue I had - I contacted them again and they arranged an advance delivery for me seeing as they had screwed up in the first place..

IamMetaldave

Wrong thread. Sorry.

Badgermonkey

banquo wrote: »

Also, the op is in Mayo where - and this is true - not 1 of the 3 Three stores has a telephone you can ring. Delicious ironing.

Does delicious ironing involve doing the shirts and sambos at the same time?

barleybooley

Badgermonkey wrote: »

Does delicious ironing involve doing the shirts and sambos at the same time?

Sorta, I prefer Swiss Roll with my shirts to make it delicious.

Okay, here's a sit-rep for you all. Got the phone back Friday evening turned it on, still not working, rang Apple, they said to restore it and see what happens. I did this and it still wasn't working so I rang them back again. They said to send it back to them for another repair. I in turn told them 8 days was simply too long to wait for it to go and come back again. I was put on to a senior supervisor, who told me they'd ship a new one to me and I should have it within 24-48 hours, he was very apologetic and was saying that it should never have been dealt with in the manner in which it was and even sent me a personal email of apology, really nice guy! It's still not here, but I don't mind too much, I'd say I'll get it tomorrow.

So, that's the craic anyway (she said with her leg on the table and nothing on but the radio )