iPhone 5 Battery

[rishisoni]

Hello

I am having major issues with my Iphone 5 battery.  I purchased the phone from a vodafone store in December 2012.  I took it to an Apple Store today where they ran a diagnostics test and told me the battery had failed and given the length of time i had owned the phone this should not happen.  They said the cost of having a new battery is £55.

I understand that under EU directive 1999/44/EC the phone should still be under warranty through Vodafone.  Please could you let me know how i go about getting the phone fixed under warranty?

Kind regards

Rishi

[drey_p · Accepted solution]

Hi there

The phone itself may be under warranty but the battery is covered by a different warranty as it is a wear and tear item.  This is not uncommon - some manufacturers do not cover the battery at all under warranty.  Apple give you a 1 year warranty on the battery.  As it is out of warranty you will have to pay for it to be replaced.

[Cosmopolymath]

So I've reported an issue with my iPhone Battery whilst it is still covered by the European Warranty laws (within 2 years) http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/  (details on the link from Apple themselves).

The device was sent off by Vodafone to Apple who have apparently claimed that becasue there is scratch on the edge of the device the warranty is voided. 

Firstly this is utter nonsense. A scratch on the case has nothing to do with the performance of the battery.

Secondly it's still a known fault within the 2 years of purchase which is covered under EU law.

Can anyone give me a proper means of contesting this decision without having to report it to Trading Standards? I'd just like Vodafone and Apple to do the right thing and replace the device.

Thanks

[Retired-Ian_]

Hi Cosmopolymath,

I'm sorry to read about your issues with the iPhone.

Any Apple store should be able to help with this.

So that we can look into this further, take a look here for how to get in touch.

We aim to reply to emails within 48 hours. If you need a quicker response, please visit our Contact Us page.

Thanks,

Ian

[hrym]

I don't know how it is with Apple, but with other manufacturers, Vodafone, as a 3rd party repairer, are not allowed to perforam a warranty repair if there's any evidence of damage (and, yes, this can include a small scratch that's clearly not relevant).   However, most manufacturers will take a pragmatic view if you go to them direct.  Again, I don't know what Apple's position is.

If they're effectively telling you there's a two year warranty on the battery (via their own link), you could try pointing them to it.  Battery life can be affected by a number of things, but especially whether it's been allowed to go completely flat.   This will shorten the life of a lithium one considerably.   In spite of this, warranties have improved a lot in the last few years - they used to be typically only 3 months, just to cover initial manufacturing defects tha would show up quickly.