iPhone 6 Battery life degeneration plus being stuck in 24 month contract! Bring back 18 months!!!

[neilrobinsonuk]

All,

Fuming with Vodafone. I am probably writing on behalf of a lot of people.

I have been a loyal, high paying Vodafone Customer for well over seven years now. I am currently on a 24 month contract with the iPhone 6 Space Grey 64GB on a top whack £60 a month contract with a lot of Data. 

Vodafone offered 18 month contracts but they phased them out about a year and a half ago. They now offer only 12 month or 24. Ridiculous time frames.

One year is too short, and two years is way too long to keep a phone - you get bored of it, it damages or loses value. 18 Months was always the right balance, and the contract length I always went for.

Since Vodafone got rid of the 18 Month Contract, I have been forced to get a 24 month contract. (In terms of costing). 

The iPhone 6 battery life is appalling. Probably one of the worst phones I have ever owned since the 90s. I am in the military so need a reliable phone, and this is not that. A lot of people are starting to complain that their iPhone 6's are starting to die on them.

My battery cuts out after 20 percent and doesn't charge fully. I have closed all background apps down, turned off bluetooth - everything!

I have had enough of it, I want a replacement as it is not fit for purpose, but I am only half way through the 24 months! They want £330 to early terminate the contract! They can get stuffed.

I went into the Swindon Vodafone store on Saturday and was greeted by an extremely rude CSR. She basically said Apple only had a warranty for 12 months and then that's it basically, tough luck. The nearest Apple store to me is Bath or Bristol. So this is not an option. I also logged a complaint on Sunday on the phone, but this was mistakenly not logged as a Formal Complaint - so I had to ring up yet again today to chase and get them to log the Complaint! A mess up once again by the representative. 

My gripe is, had I still been on 18 month I would now be in a position to upgrade and get rid of the hell that is this iPhone 6 battery life. In the Armed Forces, I need a reliable phone. This is persistently letting me down when I need it most. 

The attitude from Vodafone is that I need to pay the £330, or "trade in - buy back" - my phone. It is only worth £188 according to the calculator. Ridiculous. I have mobile phone insurance through Barclays Bank but don't see why I should have to claim just to upgrade. 

Why all this hassle? Your customer service has slipped big time, and I demand an upgrade to a Samsung 7 free of charge - which has a far more superior battery cycle life. 

Please call / PM me at your immediate convenience to discuss - else i am gone as a customer.  I will not be palmed off - this early upgrade fee needs to be waived in this instance. I will not rest and will escalate to Head Office if necessary. 

I can safely say I will not be getting anymore iPhones. 

P.S. I want to add that I heard Vodafone are currently "looking into" bringing back 18 month contracts - common sense has prevailed. If memory serves me correct, you also used to offer early upgrades longer than three months.

Also, theres no way an iPhone 6 battery will last two years, the term of my contract!!!! 

[BandOfBrothers · Accepted solution]

Hi @neilrobinsonuk

Ive used iPhones for years and usually get a days usage from heavy usage. My iPhone 6 Plus gives 2-3 days.

I also use a rechargeable battery case bought from Amazon as per my Review here.

I follow the advice by Apple to calibrate the battery which I do at least once a month. Apple information link.

It would be nice to have a 24 month warranty but as your aware it's 12 months. They do offer Apple Care+ at a cost and it has to be taken out within a specified time frame. 

Alternatives are home contents or some bank accounts provide mobile phone cover. T&C's and excess fees would apply. 

Another is is to have a diagnostic run on it by an Apple Store. Https://www.apple.com/uk/retail/geniusbar/ via an appointment or some Apple stores now allow a person to walk in and text you to return if they are busy. 

Apple also offer iPhone support.

Instead of buying out the contract you could try to get the phone working ok and then sell it to accrue funds to buy another phone that's unlocked to all networks or locked to Vodafone. Shops such as CEX on the Highstreet as one example buy and sell phones.

(Also please note the phone should not be sold / passed on until 6 monthly payments have been made as per T&C. )

[hrym]

I agree.  You need to find out what's causing the issues with the battery - whether it's a hardware fault, a software issue or something to do with usage.   Be aware that auto-updates, background synching and a weak mobile signal can all contribute to shortened charge life.

[neilrobinsonuk]

I just want a new phone, eg samsung, so much more reliable.

[hrym]

Maybe SIM-free is the route for you?   It can be (but isn't always) cheaper than contract and has complete flexibility.

[BandOfBrothers]

The Samsung Galaxy s7 Edge has caught my eye.

Any phone I buy is sim free. I'm Payg.