topic Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2 in Apple

don't buy an iPhone from o2

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 22:29:44 GMT

I've just had a problem with an iphone 6 which apple confirmed as a hardware issue and which although over 1 year old would be covered by apple and replaced.

However because my consumer contract is with o2 they limit their warranty to 1 year and will not exchange a £600 phone, which has not been misused and has been confirmed independently by an authorised apple store to be defective.

So my advice to O2 customers is to buy your phone from Apple and let them look after you. They have been exemplary in terms of service, employing intelligent well trained staff. O2 on the other hand have been nauseatingly spivvy and unprofessional. To be honest I struggled to be able to understand what they were even saying. It is quite something to run a phone company and then to fail so miserably with the basics of telecommunication.

It took me over 1 hour just to get my pac codes to leave. It took me less time to buy a new car.

Anyway, this is just a heads up for those wanting to invest in an iphone, buy it from Apple and take out a separate airtime agreement with O2.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Cleoriff — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 22:38:22 GMT

Hi @Anonymous To some extent I agree with what you say. Apple only offer a one year warranty on their phones wherever you purchase it from. However O2 offer Refresh which seems a great idea for some.

We would always advise people to return to Apple for any faults. My son bought a sim free iPhone 6 from Amazon. It developed a screen fault within 7 months. He returned it to Apple and they fixed and replaced the screen within 2 hrs at no cost to him...They weren't bothered where it was purchased from..

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

MI5 — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 22:44:04 GMT

Unless you had applecare+ there is no way they (apple) would have replaced a phone outside of warranty.
It's easy for them to say they would, but words are cheap in this case I'm afraid.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 22:47:51 GMT

The problem is once you move out of the 12 month automatic warranty.

After that Apple appear to take a very generous view of faults that relate to manufacture. We use a lot of Apple products, I can only tell you that after 8 years and some 60 + devices, some of which have had issues, they have always looked after us.

First issue with one purchased via o2 and it's a world of pain. It's not until something goes wrong that you learn about a company.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Anonymous — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 22:51:44 GMT

@MI5My son's ipone 5 was replaced by Apple when one of the button's stopped working after 20 months, free of charge, took around 20 minutes from start to finish. Bought direct from Apple. One of our Macbook airs had an issue after 2 years, once again changed with no drama after they'd run a diagnostic check on it.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

MI5 — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 23:06:15 GMT

You've been lucky then previously, but the 5 had an official recall for the power/lock button https://www.apple.com/uk/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Cleoriff — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 23:13:20 GMT

I think this is very dependent on the Apple Store and the guru who handled these individual cases. Apple have an excellent reputation ....but we have had stories on here when they haven't been as good.... @viridis had a poor experience if I remember correctly?

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

viridis — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 00:01:51 GMT

Just because you bought it from o2, does not mean you cannot take it to apple.
If they say they will replace it, take it to them and act on that offer. A manufacturers warranty is exactly that.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 00:49:35 GMT

I left the phone with an O2 store, got the pac codes etc and have issued a Court claim against O2 this evening, very simple on line.

I don't think they understand that when you go to a court, explain you spent £600 on a phone that there is a reasonable expectation for it to last 20 months. Apple know this, o2 need to learn it.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Anonymous — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 00:54:50 GMT

I have a lot of Apple stuff both at my company and at home. They recognise that my contract is with O2, not Apple. It doesn't matter what Apple determine their warranty to be, a week, day month or year. None of that affects my rights as a consumer.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

viridis — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 01:39:59 GMT

You issued a court claim against o2 for not honouring an out of warranty service offered directly by the manufacturer?
Good luck with that.
It doesn't matter who your contract is with in the case of defects recognised by the manufacturer, your out of warranty servicing will be with Apple as they alone are the body that has recognised a fault.
Your rights as a consumer are as set out when purchasing a product with a 12 month warranty set by THE MANUFACTURER, any deviation from this policy is at their sole discretion and unless a device is recalled, it is not the responsibility of O2 to provide a warranty based service that they are not authorised by Apple to carry out.
Sorry but "Apple recognising your contract is with O2" is not a reason to go to O2 for a service offered by the manufacturer, as they would also recognise that the contract of service under warranty is now past and they alone can authorise, and carry out, and post warranty repair on a device out of retail and manufacturer warranty.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

viridis — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 01:47:59 GMT

And for future record.
IPhone warranty is one year, regardless of whether you buy it from pcw,argos,o2 or even Tim cook himself.
See here.
http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/warranty/products/uk-ireland-universal-warranty.html
Also take note of the following before looking a bit silly in court.
It's near the bottom.
"GENERAL

No Apple reseller, agent, or employee is authorized to make any modification, extension, or addition to this warranty."
Meaning someone is lying.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

adamtemp64 — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 07:36:44 GMT

The iPhone will be covered by consumer laws depending on date purchased see https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Pay-Monthly-and-Pay-Go/Guide-Differance-between-SOGA-and-warranty-extended-warranty/m-p/599174

if apple admit a known hardware issue that was down to manufacturing error it should be replaced out of the 12 month warranty period in line with the relevant consumer protection law

http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/ also explains why you deal with o2 and mot apple after the warranty period

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

viridis — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 09:57:59 GMT

And even in the link you posted, you state that people should go to the manufacturer, especially under manufacturer warranty which Apple have not authorised o2 to extend beyond the original 12 months, so where should user go? Apple.
In every case of Apple acknowledging a hardware fault, they have asked customers to visit their stores for the repair of said fault.
The second link does indeed show that under normal circumstances users should seek resolution from the seller once warranty has passed, but in this case the user wants a warranty based service after the warranty is passed, o2 cannot do this on the say so of some apple worker, especially when said Apple worker has laid out what Apple would have done but can't because user purchased phone from o2, Nonsense. If Apple have said they would have done xxx they have to regardless of where a user bought it, it's their product and only they can extend their own warranty to provide this free service just as they did with the iPhone 5 home button repair.
The idea that o2 will replace an over one year old Apple device is laughable at best and you fully know this, but i also suspect argument for arguments sake.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

jonsie — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 10:10:11 GMT

I still find it laughable that Apple, top top price for an outdated phone, have so much confidence in their product that they give a 12 month warranty when other phone manufacturers with modern technology give a 24 month warranty. Yet people still flock to buy into a company who say yes, out of warranty so go to your supplier. We are Apple, we set our own terms and conditions that you the customer will abide by.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 17:26:45 GMT

I thought I should update this, I issued a county court claim against Telefonica and on learning the details they agreed to replace the phone along with my costs.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

MI5 — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 17:35:20 GMT

Good news indeed.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Cleoriff — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 18:30:01 GMT

How long did it take them to settle the dispute @Anonymous? I only ask as you started this thread 11 months ago?

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

Beenherebefore — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 18:44:03 GMT

An online money claim that I successfully made took almost a year from start to finish.

Re: don't buy an iPhone from o2

jonsie — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 18:54:56 GMT

I'm so glad you followed this through and thrilled that you won and O2 made to cough up. Very well done!