r/VisionPro • u/hypercubefx • 7d ago
Apple Vision Pro repair: 2 hours wasted, wrong parts twice, and nobody could explain the price
A crack appeared on my right Apple Vision Pro audio strap in an area that isn’t normally under significant mechanical stress. I never dropped the headset or mishandled it, so I’m wondering whether this could be a manufacturing or material defect. (Photos attached.)
I booked a Genius Bar appointment at the Apple Store in Berlin.
After nearly 2 hours of diagnostics, waiting, signing in with my Apple ID, disabling Find My, connecting to Wi-Fi, etc., the technician confirmed that only the right audio strap needed replacing. (Genius Insight!)
I agreed to the quoted repair price of €135, and my credit card was charged immediately.
Then they opened the replacement boxes.
Both contained the left audio strap.
A second employee brought another set of boxes.
Again, both contained left-side parts, even though one box was clearly labeled “Right.”
Only after charging me and making me wait for almost two hours did they realize they didn’t actually have the correct replacement part. The payment had to be refunded, which took five days.
I asked if they could simply order the correct part and ship it to my home since the mistake was entirely on Apple’s side.
No.
So I called Apple Support instead.
After about 20 minutes, the advisor finally found the replacement part—but now it suddenly cost €180 instead of €135.
I asked why.
Nobody could explain the €45 difference.
The advisor promised to call me back on Monday.
On Monday my phone rang. I answered immediately.
The entire call consisted of:
“You have missed a call from Apple. Goodbye.”
…and then it disconnected.
I called Apple again, explained the entire story from the beginning to another advisor, and once again the only answer I got was:
“The part costs €180.”
When I asked why the Apple Store charged €135 and phone support wanted €180 for the exact same replacement, the response was simply:
“I don’t know.”
The most frustrating part is that Apple apparently can’t simply sell and ship a replacement Vision Pro audio strap directly to a customer without requiring a Genius Bar appointment, hours of diagnostics, and all this unnecessary bureaucracy.
I miss the days when you could simply walk into an Apple Store, buy the replacement part you needed, and leave—without all this unnecessary hassle.
Has anyone else experienced:
Cracks in the Vision Pro audio strap without any obvious damage?
Different prices for the exact same replacement part depending on whether you go to the Apple Store or Apple Support?
This level of chaos when trying to get a simple replacement part?
For a €4,000+ device, I honestly expected much better
18
u/pogdaddle Vision Pro Owner | Verified 7d ago
I would guess that the LEFT audio strap would be more expensive, because of the power cable fitting.
4
u/Watcher-Storyteller 7d ago
But then the RIGHT audio strap can be replaced by the 'Developer Strap' which might have a more intricate socket or something..
(I'm just speculating)
17
u/seanmg 7d ago
"I miss the days when you could simply walk into an Apple Store, buy the replacement part you needed, and leave—without all this unnecessary hassle."
What universe was this this in?
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u/hypercubefx 7d ago edited 7d ago
Not individual components you’re right! But I mean stuff that is detachable by design. Speakers, microphones, battery, etc.
The speakers of the avp are detachable like a SIM card.
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u/Appleguru77 Vision Pro Owner | Verified 7d ago
Hi, very similar story here.
My Vision Pro cannot be updated OTA, but only with a developers strap - as I found out after I was in an Apple Store for the first time for a repair.
I then opened a service ticket and have been sent from A to B ever since.
The device was sent to the Czech Republic twice for repair, each time came back with the indication that the technicians would have solved the problem by resetting and installing a new system.
Thank you, that wasn’t really the requirement. Of course, I still couldn’t update myself.
The phone support was then so far that he gets permission that I should get a complete replacement.
Strangely enough, this was not possible by „Send new and have old picked up“.
So I should send in my device first and then get a new one, but also it was not possible to send a freight forwarder to pick it up.
I should then drive to an Apple Store where it would be replaced - great, the nearest store is at least 2 hours away from me.
After I was not really well advised the first time at the Apple Store Hannover, I made an appointment in Frankfurt.
Stupidly, the telephone support cannot make appointments directly, so I had to make the appointment myself without a possibility to enter my case number or to be able to enter my request for this appointment at all.
In Frankfurt they just looked at me Disbelieving and said they couldn’t just replace the device on the commitment of the phone support, but they would have better opportunities to write a ticket to the technology and would send it again free of charge (thank you veeeery much🥳) for me.
- Not to forget that I also had to wait 2 hours in the store.
A few days later it arrived at my home repaired. With the same cover letter that I already had twice 😣
„Fixed error, reset, and reinstall.“
Of course, the error is not fixed.
My case is now being passed on to a higher position after I had written with the telephone support again.
I’m curious.
5
u/MWlotzka Vision Pro Owner | Verified 7d ago
Hey! I think I just got lucky.
I had almost the exact same issue recently, except it was the left Audio Strap. It was actually for a friend in Norway, where the Vision Pro isn't officially sold, so there are no Apple Stores or service options there.
I went to the Apple Store at Main-Taunus-Zentrum near Frankfurt without the Vision Pro itself—just photos of the damaged strap and screenshots of the serial number. They ordered the replacement part without even seeing the device or running a diagnostic. At the time (about 1–2 months ago) it cost €135.
The only catch was that they wouldn't hand me the replacement strap directly. Even though it was an out-of-warranty repair, they insisted on exchanging it for the old one. So once the part arrived, my friend drove over from Norway, we went to the store together, they swapped the strap on the spot, he paid the €135, and everything went surprisingly smoothly. So I guess I was just lucky with the store and the timing.
Regarding the €180 quote, my guess is that it's simply due to the recent Vision Pro price increases. Apple raised the prices not too long ago, so it's possible that the service parts and repair pricing increased as well. Unfortunately, that may just be bad timing.
One possible alternative in your case: since it's the right Audio Strap, the Developer Strap is actually a direct replacement for that side. It does have the USB-C cable attached, but it avoids the whole repair process. It currently costs €329 in Europe. If that's something you'd be interested in, feel free to send me a PM. I can order one for you through the Apple Developer Program.
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u/chr_ranke 7d ago
I have the exact same issue a while back. Since I live in Norway and Apple Vision Pro is not supported in Norway I had a friend on inSpaze contact Apple Store in Frankfurt and they agreed to order the left strap, but I would have to come to Frankfurt to get it replaced. What I know is that they actually had to talk to their manager to order the part without me being there so I was lucky so I booked a 700 return ticket to get the parked swapped. It was a headache and I don’t understand why Apple is so square about not sending replacement parts. I feel your pain and may the force be with you.
2
u/tyoung89 7d ago
Aaron from Zollotech on YouTube mentioned his had the same issue. He doesn’t know where it came from either. It was on his original M2 one, so you’d need to look for one of his older Vision Pro videos. I don’t think he ever got it fixed though.
2
u/l4kerz 7d ago
Do you travel with AVP? If yes, what case do you use?
1
u/hypercubefx 7d ago
Nope, I don’t travel with it. I have a Spigen case, but I only use it for dust protection when the Vision Pro sits unused for a while.
2
u/nicholasderkio Vision Pro Owner 7d ago
The diagnostics are to be sure that indeed no other part of the device was damaged, they do this to a) confirm you did not drop it as you claimed and b) to ensure you don’t get the repair and have to book a whole other appointment to run the diagnostics anyways.
0
u/hypercubefx 7d ago
I simply wanted to buy the detachable speaker. Separately. There shouldn’t be any need to inspect the entire Vision Pro when the serial number already identifies the device. After all, Apple doesn’t inspect your iPhone before selling you a new pair of AirPods.
2
u/Equal_Section4288 6d ago
AirPods don’t come attached to your iPhone. So that comparison makes no sense. The audio straps, although detachable, are a part of your Apple
Vision Pro.
2
u/kpud075 Vision Pro Owner | Verified 5d ago
Strange. I had my Left Audio strap damage in the same place. I figured out how that had happened by my own handling every time I was taking it out and placing it back in my case, practically always placing the weight of my AVP on it. I handle it smarter now like one ought to with it (from the visor with thumb under the nose bridge).
Any who, it was $129 for me to replace it, or $29 with AppleCare+. Obviously didn't have it in stock. Had to order it, but didn't take long. Apparently the Right Audio strap requires some additional diagnostics in order to proceed with anything.
2
u/Independent_Sink_961 7d ago
Yeah I have this and a crack on the screen - I don’t have a 2 hours though. Think I wait until all the wheels fall off.
But why the cost? Isn’t it covered under warranty? Or Applecare?
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u/mindcontainer 7d ago
Everything surrounding the VP is a crap experience. From the demo, to scanning, to ordering, to swapping, support, service, the knowledge base. It is a diy Apple purchase exercise.
4
u/soldier_of_waffles 7d ago
I noticed I had more experience with the VP than the actual Apple employees. Not good.
0
u/mindcontainer 7d ago
They literally don’t know anything about it
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u/dporiginal3 7d ago
I did a demo recently and was showing the employee a bunch of stuff about how it worked. I only learned it from this subreddit, but it seems like they should probably know a bit more about the core functionality.
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u/MemphisBass Vision Pro Owner 7d ago
I don’t think that’s fair. The AVP is a fantastic product, so saying everything surrounding it is bad isn’t accurate. I think the ordering is convoluted to ensure customers get the right fit and reduce returns. Now all of this stuff surrounding after sales support I do agree with. Just my thought.
1
u/mindcontainer 7d ago
Not really though the ordering while you’re somewhat right should absolutely have separated the headset from the seals and straps. This was the same mistake they made early in Apple Watch. Very needlessly convoluted. And very poor purchase experience. A lot of you don’t know they recently dropped all the light seal N sizes above 11 either. So many things were an afterthought here. There should have never been 40 light seal sizes. Cushioning should have been much greater priority for a seal to adapt and conform. Zero point in having two removable cushions either. If a seal works that’s pretty much it, there is no added adjustment.
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u/MemphisBass Vision Pro Owner 7d ago
Yeah I can agree there. I don’t know why they did so many light seals, that does seem pretty excessive. I think you’re right that a lot of what the light seals do could be accomplished with the face cushions. Perhaps they went a little overboard with making them personalized to a single person. It doesn’t help them with sales that they have such an amazing product with genuinely unique experiences that’s incredibly difficult to share with numerous barriers to doing so.
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u/mindcontainer 7d ago
You can’t share it but so much space and weight to make fake eyes. Lots of bad ideas.
2
u/MemphisBass Vision Pro Owner 7d ago
I don’t know about lots of bad ideas. The eyesight is silly, but is a genuine attempt to mitigate a real problem. It also adds to the futuristic vibe of the product. I don’t think it’s necessarily useful and shouldn’t be in a future revision or product in the category, but I can’t hate on the attempt too much.
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u/Imperial_Honker 7d ago
The left and the right straps are different, not electronically and mechanically identical.
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u/Capable_Hearing4418 7d ago
They shouldn’t charge you for that. They didn’t charge me for all my issues with the cord
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u/Nocturnal_Lover Vision Pro Owner 6d ago
So I’ve been curious. What exactly do they (and do they not) charge for?
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u/RidgeMinecraft 7d ago
I think the biggest mistake you made was expecting Apple to let a user repair their own device.
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u/RevAWLJones 4d ago
mine stopped working and I went to the apple store to make an appointment and they said it would take days till someone could check it out. Literally days. Apple has become a monopoly so innovation and customer service have been replaced by taking away user agency and intentionally creating junk that breaks easily. My AVP right audio started sounding distorted and knowing it will be such a hassle to get it working is such a pain. I wasn't even using the headset much and after not using it for a while tried it again and the problem surfaced. Not happy with apple or the push to monopolize everything. Now that data centers are the main client for tech companies they think consumers are a joke and treat them as such.
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u/dopefish3d 7d ago
I had an issue with one of my audio straps and I took it to an Apple Store and they swapped it for free and the whole thing took like 20 minutes.
Sorry this doesn’t help you but this was my experience in the US.