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Comment by StopHammoTime | Hacker News Reader

This is why I always go with Apple. I've always just walked in, yeeted my phone at them and gotten a new one. I've had four warranty issues since my original 3GS and every time the experience has been pleasant. I've also had an AirPod replaced when it no longer kept charge and was within the warranty period. The same has also applied to other family members who have had failing devices and Apple always replaces them instantly.

I recommend Apple phones to everyone in my family for the specific reason that if you have a broken Apple device, you can walk into an Apple store and get it fixed.

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Here's something I noticed: the fans of Apple hardware know they can do this, because they... have to do this. I've had 9 or so different laptops in my life over the last 2 decades, from bargain bin models to latest high-spec Lenovo. The only times I've had to fix a laptop was twice in the last 3 years on work-assigned MBP (once the motherboard failed, another time the keyboard fell apart), then had to replace a failing HDMI adapter, then the charger for it.

Maybe I'm lucky and have a terribly weird experience with hardware. But every person I personally know who uses Apple hardware has been to their store to fix/replace it at some point. Apple is definitely doing a good job with servicing, because those people are also happy this is a possibility, but... having to do it at all feels weird to me. (anecdata of course)

My MBPs usually have battery issues after 3 years of use, by then well beyond warranty period. They always charge for insane amount of money for replacing a battery, when I always turn to a third party repair shop for about 10% of the amount given by Apple geniuses.

If you have the butterfly keyboard MBP, complain about the keyboard being broken, and you may well get it replaced under the "extended repair programme" - since the battery is glued to the topcase you also get a new battery.

Sorry, that doesn’t pass the sniff test. I recently replaced the battery on my 2015 MBP. The local shop quoted around $250; Apple, $180 IIRC. It was a full top-case replacement due to Apple’s poor battery design, heavily discounted because it was a battery replacement. The local shop couldn’t compete with the discount.

Your local shop would be out of business here. The insane amount Apple asked for, ~$500, is indeed for a full top-case replacement, and they didn't mention any discount to me.

I went through 3 lenovos in the past 17 years. I had 3 failures: 1. HDD failed. 2. SSD failed. 3. I dropped it from kitchen countertop. Backlight had to be replaced, but otherwise fine.

There was zero failure associated with ports, keyboard, trackpad, or board. Mind you, each machine went through thousands of dock / undock cycle. Even batteries were holding strong charge after 5 years. These were work laptops and I didn't baby them at all.

With that said, I wouldn't a buy cheapo Lenovo ($500) because it did fail on me completely. Dead.

With a cheap Lenovo the design and manufacturing quality is very low and failures much more common than in their professional models. As a Repair Cafe volunteer I've seen people bring in low-end Lenovos only 1-2 years old, that are literally falling apart, through normal use. The reality is there's really two Lenovo brands - the enterprise-grade one, making products designed for serviceability and durability. And there's the consumer-grade Lenovo, with products engineered to a very low price point. Other brands have this duality too. Caveat emptor.

Dead Lenovo are very easy to fix, weirdly. I've had to fix both of mine. Imagine air quotes. You have to pull the battery cable and push the power button.

That's it.

Ugh. I threw it out. :-(

W500 - 3 years, nothing

x230 - replacement battery, screen died (easy replacement), handrest cracked, still usable

T460p - 5 years of light use, nothing

T470p - 3 years, nothing

Legion Y520 - keyboard stopped working partly, bought a replacement and noticed it's basically impossible to replace, then bought a second one, this time a complete top case - replacement was a chore, but fine

Overall: still a happy Lenovo customer

I mean, I have a mid-2015 MBP at home that only required a battery replacement, but otherwise works well. My iPhone 7 served me 5 years and was abandoned due to failing battery. We all have anecdotes.

You are lucky. I had problems with samsung, motorola and with the new "nokia" android phones, All probably solvable, but support is not their priority.

We have about 70 employees and giving them anything else than Apple laptops would probably be a disaster. Our support footprint is tiny in comparison with earlier years. The machines are built so well that we hardly have any failures.

I suppose some people have been unlucky with Apple hardware but it's maybe also due to the perceptions and that seemingly everyone (at least in IT and development) is using a Mac these days.

Apple was for a long time known here in Norway to refuse to follow the consumer protection laws, so they were the worst of the bunch. So bad that lots of big retailers stopped selling Apple products for years, because the retailers had to take the costs when Apple refused.

It's better now, but not better than others or even worth mentioning. If anything, I feel people now are familiar with Apples help because their stuff keep breaking. Like the prev gen MBP I had was a mess, only computer I've ever had to repair. And even multiple times.

In Norway (and most of EU I guess?) there's laws that goes beyond warranty. So for the first half year, they really have to prove you did something out of the ordinary to break your product. Apple is notorious for saying some sensor is triggered and therefore you misused the phone. But those sensors can triggered from using the phone in normal winter conditions..

(And then for the next 4.5 years the burden of proof isn't that strong, but they still have to fix or replace broken devices, not however long a producer's warranty claims)

Counterpoint, maybe.

My mom is starting some kind of personal vendetta because her 13 month Ipad just stopped functioning. The Apple store told her it's 'fried' and she needs to just buy a new one.

Sounds like it's out of the one-year warranty period. I think warranty periods for electronics should be longer, but I would also not expect replacement or repair for out of warranty devices, unless defective.

Yeah, that's how the conversation goes. 'It only has a one year warranty, but I feel like it shouldn't just die after that.'

> I would also not expect replacement or repair for out of warranty devices, unless defective.

It sounds like it is defective.

13 months on a $300-$1300 device is defective, lol, what world is this?

I think it should be longer, too. But you are given the option to purchase a 3 year warranty instead of a 1 year.

There's also plenty of ways to damage a device. You could plug it into a damaged, cheap USB charger.

I just don't buy overpriced, overpowered brand new shit.

Can't be an alpha or beta tester for a multibillion dollar corp if you're the second owner, and already have heard any and all gripes about a model.

Buying an iPad hardly makes you a beta tester for brand new shit. They've been around for a while.

Not when you buy the latest model without doing comparisons of complaints with the last three models.

Funny how nobody has time for that, but plenty of time to

1) be without a device

2) complain

etc

Agree. Plus you don't sponsor the throwaway culture.

I don't understand why you'd charge extra money for a 1k device to last 3 years. That should be table stakes!

Also, a bad USB charger should not kill a device.

  > Also, a bad USB charger should not kill a device.

Then you've not seen bad USB chargers. Of course a device that by design is pumping voltage could ruin whatever it is connected to - especially if the connected device is sensitive equipment.

I've seen a USB charger pumping -1 to 11 volts AC out the USB connector - it was fluctuating 6 volts in either direction. Of course, you need an oscolliscope to detect that as it's at 50 hertz (C plug) - on a regular voltmeter it looked like 5 v steady.

> I don't understand why you'd charge extra money for a 1k device to last 3 years

A question to the lawmakers.

In New Zealand, you could claim that since the manufacturer will sell a 3 year warranty that the item should last for at least that long. The Consumer Guarantees Act overrules whatever the manufacturer says and states that a device should last for a reasonable amount of time. If it is more expensive, then it should last longer. If they won't repair or replace it, you can take them to the Disputes Tribunal where they aren't allowed to send a lawyer. It generally works quite well.

My $1500 Vizio TV just died 13 months into a 12 month warranty. They don't sell parts for TVs anymore, Vizio support just told me to trash it and buy a new one. Never again Vizio.

Interested to hear what brand you're switching to, and why you expect the situation to be different once you switch.

Switched to an LG OLED TV. My brother has had the same one for 3+ years so hopefully it'll last me a while.

I've honestly never had a TV just randomly die on me before, which is why I never buy the extended warranties. But Vizio not selling parts for expensive TVs just doesn't sit well with me, hence the "never again".

If it's any consolation, I highly recommend LG due to my experience. Bought a 65 inch unit 3 years ago, threw away the box, and have since moved long distance 3 times without it. 3 times on a semi wrapped in a blanket, and the thing still works like day 1. I'm a fan.

I still remember when I bought it, I was choosing between it and a TCL. When I asked what the difference was, the guy banged on the back really hard of each. The TCL showed big white splotches when hit, the LG had no effect. He called it 'shielding', but I'm not versed enough to know if that's a thing.

Assuming it's dead dead, it's probably a power supply or fuse issue. Pop it open and get the P/N on the P/S board and it should be findable. They're often conserved between models and across model years (and sometimes manufacturers).

Maybe not available through "Them", but "their" prices are usually atrocious.

You're right, I probably should open it up and check the fuses before I put it out on the curb.

In the eu it is 24 months. What kind of world do _you_ live in ;-)

Indeed it is. I once bought a Sony phone for which Sony only offered 1 year warranty, but the store had to offer two (as per EU regulation).

The touchscreen started losing sensitivity on the edges (curved glass) after 13 months. The store made a bad decision carrying that phone model. They fixed/replaced it.

As a minimum, some states have longer.

The UK has 6 (or 5 depending on part) years statutory consumer protection, and so didn't have to change anything when the EU brought in the 2 year period. I believe Ireland was in a similar position at the time.

We did end up changing stuff for the initial 6 month 'reversed burden of proof' protection

It might be worth trying a different Apple store or employee, but if it's out of warranty, it's a bit much to hope for.

Who remembers Macbook's 'Staingate'[1]. I had that and was refused service multiple times. I managed to get it repaired only after it became a big issue - there were many (thousands or more) affected customers who started making noise online - then Apple grudgingly announced free repairs of the screen. I was living with damaged screen for many months.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9223197

The top comment in above is "Apple customer service is hell" :-)

I remember it - but Apple did, thankfully, turn around and say it was an issue, and refunded anyone who paid for repairs before the announcement.

My Samsung Galaxy Note9 literally had a firmware update go out that, looking on Samsung's forums, caused calls to drop like flies completely at random. Once you updated to that firmware, there's no going back and no hardware replacement will fix the issue. There is absolutely no fix months later, no acknowledgement there is an issue, and no fix of any kind. We had to get an iPhone because you can't run a business when you are apologizing over email daily for a missed call.

Not saying Apple is great - but Samsung has objectively worse problems.

Edit: And it's not just their phones. My experience with their appliances is unbelievably cursed. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30424010

Counterpoint: I've spent less on my 4 phones over the last ten years than a single new iPhone would cost today, including replacing a couple screens and batteries myself. I'm coming up on time for a new phone, but the iPhone prices have been keeping pace with my cumulative device total price so far.

Multiple hours' drive to the nearest apple store, so they offer no timeline advantage for me

Depends on the iphone model. I have an Iphone SE 2 which cost me 400 €.

Didn't know about that model - wasn't on the telecom websites, but it is apparently available in Canada for $576, which is much better (only the price of my last ~2 phones). The cheapest phone I saw and compared with above was an iPhone 13 mini, at $976.

Doesn't Apple pull the exact same scam, except that instead of scratches and paint chips, they say "water damage" is why they're denying your warranty claim?

Had a 12.5 month old iPhone 12 mini die recently and used Apple's mail in repair service ($400.) Getting technician's notes out of them (needed for a credit card extended warranty claim) has been nigh impossible after spending hours trying to get that artifact. About 2 months in at this point and they've sent plenty of stuff; none of what I've asked for. It's equivalent to dealing with the USPS on a lost package claim.

But make sure you have your 2fa backup codes! I replaced two phones in a short period of time, and overlooked the 2fa backups the second time. It’s easy to do if you’re not expecting a replacement.

That's why I've copied all of the 2FA codes from my phone to my iPad. You REALLY need some sort of redundancy to avoid a single-point-failure catastrophe.

Not sure if others noticed this, but Google Authenticator now offers a bulk export of all the codes in your app, so that you can clone them in a single step on another device. This is welcome for me at least because I was saving backup copies of the original 2FA QR codes separately, and each time a new device I would have to scan them all in one by one.

I remember when I had my first-generation iPhone and it started to feel kind of hot during usage. I took it in to the Apple Store and the genius was a bit wobbly about it and he asked another genius and he said, "just replace it" and that was it.

Do they even do anything in store anymore? When I bring it in they usually scratch their head, wipe the device, and try and charge me $450 to have the laptop mailed to a facility where it will have its logic board swapped out.

Just $450? Pfft. 10 years back I had an issue with an overheating MacBook Pro (within warranty) and because they couldn't reproduce it with their tests they offered a replacement board for about 850€ (parts only). Turns out changing the thermal paste (by myself) solved the issue completely.

Walk into an Apple Store for just repairing is a privilege. Though it's great that it's available for many people compared to other brands.

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