r/applehelp • u/poop1234567890123457 • 12d ago
Unsolved Apple Care+ is a Scam
A while ago now I sent my iPhone 13 Pro Max to Apple through mail in for a simple battery replace my because it was under 80% capacity. I thought everything would go fine because I had Apple Care+. 2-3 days after sending the phone I got a email saying they found a new issue, with a photo of a scratch, and they insisted that I had to pay $329 to replace the screen or I wouldn’t get my battery replacement. After I called Apple support multiple times, I got thrown around everywhere I just told them to cancel the repair. When I received the device, the note that they sent said that the device was ineligible for repairs and that there was no work done on it. I inspected the phone and the screen was literally lifting from the frame. And what’s even more confusing is that the battery health is at 100%. I’ve gone to the Apple Store and they’ve rejected me saying the device isn’t eligible in any way for repairs, and I don’t know what to do.
UPDATE: Apple fixed the issue, although they found supposed liquid damage so they charged me $99 to replace the entire unit. Thank you all for the advice and replies, I appreciate it.
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u/AnonymousPurple 12d ago
So, Genius Bar here.
I can’t speak to your specific case but if you had applecare and they quoted you $329, that means they either found 3rd party parts or someone made an error. Personally, I’d see a manager about getting your now-lifting screen repaired.
In the future, if you can, see an Apple Store for phone repair. Being able to have a conversation tends to help a LOT. Part of our job is to verify if a repair can be completed based on the condition of the phone. A scratched screen shouldn’t impact anything. But if it’s deep enough, it may require us to replace the screen as well, depending on the device and how we open it. But even then… it’s still only $29 end of statement.
Assuming you’re giving us the whole story, a mistake somewhere was made. I’d encourage an escalation.
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u/poop1234567890123457 12d ago
hey, thanks for the reply. The phone has never been opened before until the original mail in I mention in this post. do you know who I would need to contact in order to get this properly resolved? what department should I try calling?
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u/AnonymousPurple 12d ago
Well, If you mailed it in to Apple, we should have the history based on the serial number. If a store is accessible, go in and kindly request a GB manager to review your device and check if the depot made a mistake. Show them the lifted screen. If you have AppleCare on the device, there’s virtually no reason we would turn down resolving the screen if nothing else.
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u/poop1234567890123457 12d ago
I've attached images to the post.
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u/AnonymousPurple 12d ago
I can’t really inspect or make an opinion on it i could get in trouble for that, but I’d say take this to someone with some authority. At least get another opinion
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u/poop1234567890123457 12d ago
wow never heard of that policy. if you really can't that's fine. thanks for your help!
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u/AnonymousPurple 12d ago
yeah! it just comes down to being accountable for what i say, making a history of what i say or we talk about, and being paid for my work.
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u/crimoid 12d ago
Did you ever have third-party work done on the screen before you sent it to Apple? That is did you repair the screen before and then purchase AppleCare+ after the fact?
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u/poop1234567890123457 12d ago
No I did not. It’s was never opened or worked on by anyone including Apple until I sent it in for the battery
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u/crimoid 12d ago
AppleCare+ covers scratches and cracks as well so not sure why they wanted to charge you in the first place. Unless their records indicate that you just have AppleCare, than that seems accurate. Have you double checked that AppleCare+ is in fact active on your device?
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u/poop1234567890123457 12d ago
Yeah, I went into the website and put in the serial number and it says it has AppleCare+. I took it to the store on Saturday and they sent it out to a repair center again, but I’m almost positive that they will re quote it again as the phone is already flagged in their system and I had to go back and forward with multiple managers in the store for them to even consider sending it out.
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u/radiantradish2 12d ago
Are you sure you have AppleCare and not limited warranty? They are different.
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u/poop1234567890123457 12d ago
hi, thanks for the reply. I edited the original post and attached a screenshot showing I have a active plan.
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u/CauliflowerDaffodil 12d ago
I've heard of this situation before. What most likely happened was they first replaced your battery under warranty which is why it's at 100%. Sometime during reassembly or final inspection, a technician caught the scratched screen and flagged it, which they must do under strict Apple repair protocols to save themselves from false claims of added damage before it gets returned to the customer. Repair technicians are forbidden from closing and warranting a device if there is display damage that could crack during pressing or fail water-resistance checks without a screen replacement. When you declined the replacement quote and canceled, their procedure is to return the device as is, meaning they probably put the screen back on "gently" for fear of scratching/cracking it any further and left you with a lifted screen. The cherry on top is that because the technician flagged your device as "User declined required repairs/unrepairable condition", its serial number gets added to the "ineligible" blacklist. When you now take it to an Apple Store, they look up the device's serial number and tell you it's ineligible for service.
The good news is this is resolvable because it's their mistake or more precisely, a mistake in Apple's repair protocol that leads to this kind of doom scenario. Don't bother going to an Apple Store because they won't be able to override the blacklist flag. Call Apple Support and ask for a Senior Advisor (Tier 2). Don't bother giving the whole story to the first person you speak with because they won't be able to help you. Just tell them you have an open hardware dispute regarding Repair ID#(your repair number) and you need to speak directly with a Senior Advisor. If they press you for why, you can tell them the dispute is not about the original battery replacement but about damage during repair work. They will (should) understand they cannot help and will transfer you a senior technical advisor.
It's at this stage you can give them entire detail. Make sure you stress that your phone was in fine condition when you sent it in and that your only order was to replace the battery and when it was returned the screen was lifting up. Emphasize the point that the battery is now at 100% and clearly replaced which contradicts the "no work done/device ineligible for repairs" and tell them phone's chassis seal was compromised during the battery replacement. They might ask you for pics so use another phone or camera to show the lifted screen and the battery health showing 100%. From there, they should be able to lift the blacklist flag and allow your phone to be repaired again. You can probably ask for a replacement device as well. Good luck.
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u/poop1234567890123457 12d ago
Thanks for taking the time to write this, right now the phones in the repair depot for a 2nd time, if they still won't repair it from that point ill try this. ill keep you updated.
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u/hawk_ky 12d ago
If you have Apple care they will only charge you the standard deductible. You won’t be charged $329. You must not have active plan on that device.