Apple’s Customer Service Says iPhone 8’s “Blowout” Mainly Because of Improper Transportation
On September 13 in the morning, Apple released a series of new products. The new iPhone 8 could be booked from September 15 and would be sold publicly on the 22. About half a month after the launch, though Apple hasn’t released its official sales figures, there have been reports that the new iPhones are not as popular as the past.
At the same time, the quality problem of the new iPhones has been reported several times. The most typical problem is that the battery’s expansion causes the phone screen to crack, which is said to have occurred at least five times worldwide. Is there a systemic quality problem with the iPhone? How should consumers encountered with the problem mobile react?
On Oct. 5, Mr. Liu, who lives in Guangzhou, told press that he found the iPhone 8 Plus he had purchased from an e-commerce company cracked. After opening the package, he found the screen near SIM card split and he could see internal components faintly. Fortunately, he didn’t see the burning traces. However, Liu doesn’t seem to be the only case. Another customer with similar experience came from Taiwan. Wu talked about the incident. She said, “it’s strange that this cell phone broke down. How could it crack as I just use it for three days? I went out to work at noon, and when I came back and recharged, the phone burst. It was just charging for 10 minutes.”
As for related problem, Apple responded to the media that it had received the problem phone used by that Taiwan customer. The preliminary investigation suggests it is because of swollen battery rather than the serious security incidents. And it has nothing to do with explosion. A detailed survey results will be released to the public as soon as the company confirms it. On today (October 7, 2017) afternoon, the reporter dialed Apple’s official customer service hotline. Customer service staff said there had been no notice of quality problems with the new phones.
Reporter: it is said the front side of the screen has a crack with the back, and the parts inside can be seen.
Apple customer service: do you think this is true? I don’t believe it. If Apple (quality problem) is so serious, how could official store sell the phone? Apple is ahead of other phones in all categories. It is not just decades ahead of others in materials but also completely take the lead in after-sales service.
At the same time, the customer service staff stressed that it was unavoidable that the phones some users received had quality problems, and most might have been caused by improper transportation.
Apple customer service: usually, the phone comes out from the factory has no problem. In most cases, problem may occur due to express delivery.
Reporter: it could be transportation, isn’t it?
Apple customer service: yes, it may be the case. But it’s impossible that the phone totally breaks up directly from the factory, and I’ve never heard of it.
Whether it’s because of the so-called transportation problem or other reasons, some consumers do have problem phones. In the case of Liu’s cracked screen, Apple asked him to negotiate the return with the e-commerce platform. While Apple directly took charge of the after-sales service of consumers buying phones through official channels. Chen, a Beijing consumer, ordered the iPhone 8 on September 15, the first day of booking, on Apple official website. On 22, she received the goods. However, beneath the new phone’s screen, there’s a little dust-like object that she couldn’t rub off, and the return process will take a little longer. She said, “on September 23, I found that there was a problem and I applied for a refund. The staff came to the door for goods. The earliest appointment was three days after that on September 27. But he didn’t show up on that morning. It was EMS delivery man that came on the evening of September 28. I received an email on October 5 saying that they have received my articles. I can only see that the return has been completed and they are processing the refund, saying that they would refund to my credit card within 5 days of receiving the goods, but I have not received the money yet.
This article originally appeared in CNR News and was translated by Pandaily.
Click here to read the original Chinese article.
