Taken from Facebook post.

To all fellow iPhone and Apple fans in SG: Read this before you upgrade your current iPhone to iOS 11!

Does it make sense to be charged $448 for a replacement phone when an iOS software update broke your phone? Major disappointment in Apple‘s so called ‘incredible’ customer service..

I don’t normally post (at all) but as a loyal Apple fan, I’m really disappointed with Apple’s pretentious customer service. Here’s a precautionary story to people who may think buying an Apple product means you’re in good hands..

So as you know, the iOS 11 came out recently with a bunch of major updates, etc etc..

After I excitedly updated to iOS 11, my phone went blank after I keyed in my iCloud password. I waited 15 minutes and still nothing happened. So I called Apple Tech Support, spent an hour on the phone, and a half hour on the phone the next day but to no avail, so he asked me to have my phone checked out at the Apple Store.

I was getting worried, but still felt very safe so far.

At the official Apple Orchard Road Store (don’t even get me started on how disorganised the whole process at the Store was), the Apple Genius staff immediately told me, without checking, that I needed a total phone replacement, and I was shocked. After I questioned him further, he then proceeded to test my phone with his Macbook, and the test for current was positive, and asked if I wanted to try to change the screen on my phone for $200.

This started to make me even more uncomfortable because it was the software update that caused my screen to black out in the first place, but fine, since it’s only $200 and it could potentially save my phone and all the things in it, I agreed.

2 hours of aimlessly wandering around Orchard later waiting for good news, I was back at the apple store.

Turns out it wasn’t the screen’s fault and apple genius told me I need a total phone replacement, and couldn’t pinpoint what is wrong specifically – they just kept using vague terms like “it could be the logic board” and when I told them that my phone was functioning well (I could use bluetooth, wifi, make calls and everything!), they told me that my phone is older than a year old so it might be my fault due to constant dropping and what not instead of the update’s fault.

The worse part was, they said to me that they couldn’t be sure whether my phone went dead because of the iOS 11 update or these reasons like dropping.

(How is it any form of a good service recovery to insinuate that I’m lying?)

If you’ve been reading around, you might know also about all the battery burnings, phone breakdowns etc that have happened in the iOS 11 update. And if you’ve been reading around on Apple Tech Support, you would also have read that similar situations like mine happened to other Apple customers as well.

So I was very sure that my phone couldn’t have coincidentally broke down right after an update.

Then the real kicker came:

After acknowledging that it could be due to the update, instead of getting a new phone, I was told that I have to pay a whopping $448 as replacement cost.

Imagine that.

$448 for being one of the enthusiastic fans who couldn’t wait to try out iOS 11’s new features as soon as I could!

When I insisted that I felt unjustified having to pay $448 for a phone that died because of Apple’s update, I got re-directed to Apple Care (Apple Tech Support) as Apple Genius said they are “only the retailers and can’t help me with this.” (sure sign of trying to taichi (push) the responsibility already..)

Apple Tech Support (ATS) spent another half an hour on the phone with me (in which I had to explain myself again) and said there should have been a service report given to me at the Apple Store, but I was given nothing back other than my phone and a redirection back to ATS.

ATS told me there’s nothing else he can do without the service report and I’ve to get it from the Apple Store before he can proceed further. He also suggested for me to get a second opinion from another apple authorised service provider (the main store i went to cannot be trusted?).

So here I am, being looped around by Apple customer service and Apple retail store endlessly… until I suppose I get too frustrated and give up on my own (I read similar stories online before posting this), or cough out the $448 they value so much more than years of loyalty and raving to friends and family about their products.

If you think Apple still stands for incredible customer service, think again.

(To be fair, I’m comparing my service experience to companies like Amazon.com and Fitbit who shipped me a replacement Kindle and Fitbit Charge HR when they similarly broke down without having to put me through an interrogation, which I’m still very much a loyal fan of. They even took care of shipping fees!)

Have no choice but to lookout for other mobile phone brands after using Apple phones since the first iPhone came out in Singapore back in 2009. It’s frustrating because I’ve been a loyal fan for so long, but at the same time, it’s not logical if I simply get a new iPhone again and accept this level of service and commitment.

Hopefully my 2 macbooks don’t die next.

Anyone else had a similar frustrating experience? If it’s helpful, do share this with your friends who have not updated yet, to not update until they are sure the version is stabilised!

Posted by Facebook user Mei Loi