Apple falsely accused me of tampering with my iPhone...now I'm out $1000+, how do I prove my innocen

falselyaccusedfalselyaccused
Posted:
in Genius Bar edited February 2015

TLDR: Apple won't replace my under-warranty iPhone 5S, even though they agree it has a hardware issue that would normally covered, because a sticker with the serial number inside the phone is "mis-aligned" indicating tampering. The phone has never been 'tampered with/opened' at least ever since I got it from the Apple store.


  • I bought (unlocked from the Apple store) my iPhone 5S on the day it came out.

  • In July 2014 I had it replaced under warranty in the Apple Store

  • Fast-forward to today when I had another hardware issue (screen turning blue and in constant reboot cycle). I took it into the Apple store and was told that it was a hardware issue and they would replace the phone but they just needed to "run some tests" first.

  • 30 minutes later I was informed that the phone would not be replaced because they (a technician and two different managers) have seen an internal serial-number sticker that is mis-aligned which supposedly proves my phone has been opened

  • My phone has never left my possession since I received in from the Apple store as a replacement in July

  • This phone has never been taken in for any type of service by ANYONE since I received it from the Apple store

  • I have never attempted (nor would I even know how) to open my phone

  • I asked the Apple store to take photos of whatever sticker they say was mis-aligned and they did but they refused to show me the photos (they said it was confidential or something that made no sense) but did promise to upload the photos to my Apple file so that they could be reviewed centrally by an engineer

This is absolutely bizarre. What possible motivation would I have to take my phone to non-certified repair technician when it's currently under Apple care (meaning if I took it anywhere else I'd have to pay)?!? The only theory the manager in the store could suggest is maybe someone would open the phone to remove evidence of water damage but I asked and she confirmed that the sensor (or whatever it is maybe just a chemical thing) inside that checks for water damage did not indicate any such damage.

I am completely cutoff from my business, friends and family. I can't afford a new phone at the moment and have no idea how I can prove to Apple that what they're accusing me of is totally false and unfair.

Has this happened to anyone here before? Can anyone suggest a possible recourse? How can I prove my innocence?

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