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iPod 'Moisture' issue and Warranty. Help please.

post #1 of 5
11/8/09 at 1:08pm
Thread Starter 
I have a friend who went Apple for the 1st time. She bought her daughter an iPod touch last Christmas and the warranty is up on December 24th.

The iPod touch has suffered normal user wear and tear eg stored in pocket, held in hand ie been used.

The on button has become depressed and another button at the side. So the buttons have made the iPod unusable to a degree.

The mum booked an appointment at the 'Genius' bar today. And the response?

Apple checked the 'charge' plug input on the iPod touch. They used a sensor to check if the iPod has been exposed to moisture. Apparently their machine can check if this 'colour' goes from 'white' to 'red' on the iPod's input area. Ergo: Apple say the iPod touch isn't working due to being exposed to moisture.

Mum has to pay £80 to get the same 'old' model and only 3 months warranty on it.

The Mum wasn't best pleased, soured about the thought of ever being an Apple customer in the future and the daughter was a little upset.

Top and bottom?

The teenager hadn't dropped the iPod touch in the bath, sink, puddle of water or left it out in the rain. It was generally used in a pocket, her hand or left on charge next to her computer...

What does 'exposed' to moisture mean? Do you guys have any experience of this issue? I've had my mobile phone in the bathroom, had water on it...held in cold and hot days. I've never had any 'moisture' issues prevent it from working?

At first glance, it seems a bit harsh not to offer a straight swap when you're a company sitting on top of £30 billion smackers.

Any advice on this issue? I'd appreciate any insights that you can give.

Best wishes,

Lemon Bon Bon.
You know, for a company that specializes in the video-graphics market, you'd think that they would offer top-of-the-line GPUs...[/
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You know, for a company that specializes in the video-graphics market, you'd think that they would offer top-of-the-line GPUs...[/
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post #2 of 5
11/8/09 at 4:50pm
There seems to be two separate issues here:

One is the water sensor, and it is something that I am concerned about. Apple have put these in all their recent products and it seems they are a little over-sensitive. It would appear that they can indicate "exposure to moisture" even under what most people would consider to be normal usage scenarios. I am unimpressed and hope that there's a class-action lawsuit about it that Apple loses.

Second is the manner in which the iPod has been treated in general. Apple may have used the moisture sensor as their excuse, but IMHO buttons becoming permanently depressed are not symptoms of "normal" wear and tear. Your friend's daughter needs to learn to take better care of the products she uses. It's not hard; I've had several iPods and Apple laptops and every single one remained looking pretty much as good as new for years and years.
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post #3 of 5
11/9/09 at 2:01pm
Thread Starter 
Mr. H,

...thankyou for your reply.

I see the water sensor is a recent addition. Hmm. Again, it's a case of 'exposed to moisture.' What type? Sweat in a pocket? A hand? Condensation from a winter's day? How sensitive is sensitive?

Sounds harsh to me. A 'get out' on ponying up. I hope a class action is imminent on this.

As for the buttons issue. You have a point. I guess some people are more heavy handed than others?

Thanks for your reply. I'll pass the info' on.

Appreciated.

Lemon Bon Bon.
You know, for a company that specializes in the video-graphics market, you'd think that they would offer top-of-the-line GPUs...[/
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You know, for a company that specializes in the video-graphics market, you'd think that they would offer top-of-the-line GPUs...[/
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post #4 of 5
11/14/09 at 11:44am
They are not going to replace devices damaged by user for free.

I've had iPhone in showers, pocket in very humid conditions, and it didn't trip the sensor. You really have to put it in harms way to trip it.

FYI many kids don't tell the truth when they damage something.
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post #5 of 5
11/18/09 at 8:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Consultant View Post

They are not going to replace devices damaged by user for free.

I've had iPhone in showers, pocket in very humid conditions, and it didn't trip the sensor. You really have to put it in harms way to trip it.

FYI many kids don't tell the truth when they damage something.


The moisture sensors Apple puts in their iPods, iPhones , and MacBooks only indicate when they have been "wetted", i.e. high humidity, sweat, etc., will not set the indicators off. Apple has tested the functionality of these sensors completely - there will be no class-action suit. They see kids(adults too!) coming in with wetted ipods and phones all the time, swearing up and down they did not drop their ipod in the pool/lake/puddle/hot tub or whatever - and maybe they did not - but someone did if the indicators are red, which is why Apple Geniuses are sooooo confident in denying you coverage. The only way they can replace the phone under warranty is to issue a CS code (customer satisfaction), which detracts from their performance metric - so they have to decide on a case-by-case basis. If you are plainly lying ("I did not, nor did anyone else, EVER get this ipod/iphone wet!!"), you will likely get the bum's rush - i.e. pay the replacement fee - whereas if you accept that. perhaps the phone did somehow, perhaps inexplicable to yourself, get wet, the Genius may be a little bit sympathetic. Apple and their Geniuses are confident in the ability of the sensors, and are not trying to "stick it" to their users - but you cannot imagine the number of people who feign ignorance thinking the "defective sensors I read about on the internet" will get them covered under the warranty.

dan
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