How to exchange an iPhone under warranty for a new one

Hello! No equipment can be insured against manufacturing defects and the iPhone, unfortunately, is no exception. Everyone has problems - there is no escape from them. That is why, in matters of warranty service, how the manufacturer solves these same defects comes to the fore. This is where the true face of the company is revealed...

At Apple, in my opinion, everything happens at the highest level - in most cases, “repair by replacement” is carried out and the user receives a new gadget to replace the defective one.

Great? Yes, I think so. But this replacement still needs to be “arrived” in some way. And although there is nothing special or complicated in the process of handing over an iPhone to service under warranty, there are still some important points in this whole matter that are extremely necessary to pay attention to.

What kind of moments are these? But this is what we will talk about today. Let's go!

So, your iPhone is broken, and the warranty period (do you have the right to service and repair?) has not yet expired.

Change iPhone or repair

Until 2022, users of Apple products contacted the service center:

get back the money you paid for your iPhone;
replace the iPhone with a new one under warranty.

According to official information, the iPhone should be replaced with a working one. There is no guarantee that it has not been used. And often replacing an iPhone under warranty with a new one meant getting a Refurbished model (translated as “repaired” or “restored”). This means that when repairing the device, parts from used gadgets were used.

Since the spring of 2022, Apple began supplying components to workshops, and repairs are carried out with original parts. From this point on, smartphones began to be repaired more often than replaced.

Which broken iPhone can be replaced with a new one?

Exchange of a faulty phone for a new one is possible for iPhone X and newer models. For example, my iPhone X is already several years old, and during this time it has worn out, and now I will have to pay about 20 thousand rubles to replace the display with the original one due to the fact that I dropped it on a tile. An easier and more profitable option is to go to the Greatsteve website and select the trade-in section “defective for new”. Then click on your phone model.

Even the latest generation iPhone SE is included in the program

We enter the amount of memory, place of purchase, indicate whether the iPhone was repaired.

Information about repairs is very important as it affects the final cost

We note the state of the smartphone - in our case, “Broken screen”.

Even if the iPhone doesn't turn on, it's not a problem

And we immediately receive an exchange offer with a specific price. 20 thousand rubles - and you will receive it in 10 working days, 24 thousand rubles - right on the day of application.

Repair or replace with a new one? The answer is obvious

If you find a service center where they will carry out a high-quality repair of the iPhone X screen for 20 thousand rubles, the offer to exchange it for the same new model under the apple trade in program looks much more interesting. Instead of a refurbished old iPhone, get the same new one, with a capacious battery and without any damage. The service operates throughout Russia and the CIS countries.

iPhone broken?

Don't know where to take your iPhone? Determine the goal you are pursuing:

return the funds paid for the iPhone;
replace iPhone with a new one under warranty;
carry out repairs.

You need to do the following:

To get a refund, contact the seller, that is, the store where the iPhone was purchased.
For replacement or repair, go to an Apple service center. There are the necessary components, or new phone models.

Experienced product users recommend contacting Apple support directly rather than taking the phone directly to a service center. You may be offered:

Solve the problem remotely.
Carry out repairs yourself. In this case, the company sends the part.
Send the gadget to the service, and the company covers all shipping costs.

Before contacting technical support, we recommend that you check the availability of service yourself. To do this you need:

Go to https://checkcoverage.apple.co.
Specify the smartphone IMEI and captcha.
Click "Continue".

Features of the procedure

According to document resources published on the pages of the global Internet, there are a number of requirements for defects in mobile devices. That is, in order for the company to repair or replace the device, it must be “broken” in the correct way. So, the following phone models are subject to warranty service, as well as exchange for a new version:

a narrow crack in the glass “without a cobweb”, which should be in the corner;
the manifested effect of the front camera, its displacement from the desired place;
the presence of extra elements under the screen or “broken” pixels (upon prior request from the user).

In what cases will a replacement be refused?

Free iPhone replacement with a new one under warranty is possible before the warranty period expires. Typically, depending on the model purchased, the warranty is given for 1-3 years. After the warranty expires, even such minor operations as glass replacement will be impossible free of charge.

But there are a number of situations when an iPhone exchange for a new one under warranty will not be carried out, even if you purchased the smartphone a week ago, in particular:

The IMEI on the case is damaged or missing.
A stolen iPhone is handed over to the service.
It is the owner's fault that the smartphone is faulty.
The breakdown occurred due to a natural disaster.
The gadget is flooded.
An application for replacement is submitted after attempting self-repair.

Additionally, check the certification of the gadget; without this, it will also not be accepted into the service center.

Recalculation and additional payment

All actions associated with exchanging a phone for another are slightly different, depending on:

The iPhone is of good quality, without any manufacturing defects.
The iPhone is of poor quality, with defects (not caused by the buyer).

In both cases, there will be no recalculation - changing the color of a phone of exactly the same brand does not change its cost.
It may happen that the seller does not have exactly the same brand in stock, but there are other iPhones whose prices are different. Here you will have to recalculate the cost or the buyer has the right to refuse to purchase another phone. The seller will return the money paid. But sometimes there are cases when a person bought an iPhone for 30 thousand rubles, and later, when he came to change it, the price changed either up or down. That is, the price changes for the same smartphone.

In the case of a discount, the buyer exchanges his old iPhone for a new one, and the seller must return the money that makes up this difference in price. If the phone cost 30 thousand rubles, it was bought for this amount, but became 25 thousand, the seller gives a new smartphone and 5,000 on top.

If the price has risen, then the actions are exactly the same, but on the part of the buyer. The phone cost 23 thousand rubles at the time of purchase, when the buyer came to exchange it, it began to cost 25 thousand rubles. The buyer pays the remaining 2 thousand rubles.

How to get a refund for a purchase without a receipt

If the question of how to exchange an iPhone under warranty for a new one does not interest you, and you want to return the money, then you have the right to do this during the warranty period (or in accordance with the store’s rules). In such a situation, the seller is obliged to refund the full cost of the smartphone. To receive a refund, you need to fill out an application and provide identification (passport).

Conflicts arise when there is no purchase receipt. Stores often refuse to refund money without presenting a receipt. But these are illegal actions for a number of reasons:

The store maintains records of products sold, keeping receipts and other evidence of sales, since it is necessary to prepare reports for the tax service. The seller can check whether the phone was sold to them.
In accordance with the Russian Federation Law on Consumer Rights, the buyer has the right to return the goods without a sales receipt. This is stated in Articles 18 and 25 of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”.
By returning a smartphone without a receipt, the buyer can confirm the fact of purchase with the testimony of witnesses. This is enough to start the return procedure. But you will not be able to return the money on the same day, since the gadget will be sent for examination to exclude the possibility of a malfunction due to the fault of the buyer. Every second review states that Apple products are often returned because the breakdown is the fault of the user, not the manufacturer.

But there is no better option than exchanging your iPhone for a new one under warranty. In this case, you receive a new phone with a voided warranty and can use it during the warranty period, and exchange or return the money.

It is important to understand that you will not be able to get money for a stolen phone or “gray” equipment, since sellers carefully check the products. Therefore, even if you figure out how to reset your iPhone password and sign out of iCloud by connecting your Apple ID, you will not be able to deceive sellers. If the purchase was made by you and the breakdown occurred as a result of a defect, then you are guaranteed to receive a new gadget in return or get your money back for the product.

Few Russian citizens can afford such an expensive toy as an iPhone. But even people with good incomes do not intend to throw money away. If an expensive phone turns out to be of poor quality (and this happens), they are determined to either replace the device or return the money paid for the device.

The situation is even sadder when poor buyers, wanting to own a status item, take out a loan, after which it turns out that the phone does not work. Therefore, instructions on how to exchange a broken iPhone under warranty for a new device or get your money back will be useful to readers with different income levels.

If the phone was purchased from an online store

More and more people are using Internet services. And the purchase of various things, from the smallest and most insignificant to large and complex in their technical characteristics, is becoming commonplace.

The phone was purchased online, but due to the fact that the buyer was not satisfied with something about it, there is a need to return it. Provided that it works properly and there are no defects, then you can refer to the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “On approval of the Rules for the sale of goods remotely.”

According to this law:

The buyer has the right to refuse any product (except for individual orders), i.e. return the phone at any time before it is handed over to the buyer.
If the phone has already been transferred, then this can be done within 7 days.
You can return an iPhone if its presentation is preserved, the box has not been thrown away, all documents are in place, and the receipt for payment for the goods has been preserved.

Given these provisions, if everything is done correctly, then returning the iPhone will be a hassle-free process.

Repair or replacement?

Until April 2022, owners of a non-working iPhone under warranty had two alternatives. By contacting the service center, they could:

demand a refund for a device that is broken;
get a new mobile phone to replace a non-working gadget.

In the second option, receiving a new iPhone was conditional. The iPhone manufacturer honestly warned customers on its official Russian-language website that a low-quality device would be exchanged for a “functionally identical” product under warranty. The company did not promise that it had not been used by anyone before. In particular, components from other returned phones could have been used during warranty repairs. Read about how to check your Apple iPhone warranty here.

Don't forget to take the following documents with you

When returning an iPhone, the buyer must take the following documents in addition to the phone itself:

your passport;
receipts of purchase (if they are preserved).

If receipts or other documents confirming the purchase of a smartphone were not saved, then according to the Government Decree “On the Rules for the Sale of Certain Types of Goods”, the buyer can refer to witnesses.
If there are none, then you can ask to show video from CCTV cameras - this will also serve as evidence. In addition to your passport and receipts, you must provide a warranty card if the smartphone under warranty was of poor quality.

What to do if your iPhone is broken

Before deciding where to take the iPhone, the buyer needs to decide what to do. The owner of a non-working mobile phone must have a clear idea of what he wants to achieve from the seller or manufacturer:

return of a sum of money in exchange for a phone;
replacing a defective iPhone with a new, working gadget;
device repair.

The request for a refund for the iPhone should be submitted to whom it was paid, that is, to the seller. To request replacement or repair of the device, please contact the service center. Its employees have similar replacement phones and genuine, non-counterfeit parts that allow them to repair expensive equipment.

Experienced iPhone users advise: if the phone breaks down, it is more profitable for its owner to contact Apple support directly rather than to the service centers authorized by the corporation. This gives the buyer a number of advantages:

Department specialists have the ability to test a non-working phone remotely. Sometimes the problem of its functioning is already solved at this stage.
The owner of the iPhone will be offered to carry out the repair themselves by sending a new part (instead of the “dead” one).
If your phone requires replacement or major repairs, shipping and packing costs will be covered by Corporation. The buyer will only have to call the courier.

What to do if you are not satisfied with the quality of warranty repairs

When you receive your phone from repair, carefully inspect it for new damage, scratches, or chips. Turn the gadget on and off, check if all functions work. Shoot a video or take a photo. After acceptance, ask for a document stating that the phone has been repaired.

If you find a defect or the gadget begins to work worse than before, then indicate this in the acceptance certificate - both in your copy and in the copy of the organization that did the repair. Ask them to fix these shortcomings for free. If you are denied, file a complaint.

If there is no response to the claim, you can collect documents and go to court or write a complaint to Rospotrebnadzor.

The person who did the repair will be responsible. Supreme Court Decision No. 18-КГ18-154 dated 09/11/18, even if you took the phone to the store for repairs, and he sent it to a service center or workshop.

When they refuse a free replacement

Free iPhone replacement is provided only under warranty. You can make sure that it is still valid on the manufacturer’s official website by entering the serial number of the device. Depending on the type of device purchased, the warranty period ranges from 1 to 3 years. Without a guarantee, even minor operations (for example, replacing the glass of an iPhone 7 plus) free of charge will become impossible.

However, there are a number of circumstances in which there is no point in handing over an iPhone under warranty, since the buyer will be denied free service, including the provision of a new device. This will happen in the following cases:

the serial number is missing or damaged on the product;
you hand over a stolen phone to a service center (even if the new owner has nothing to do with the theft);
damage to the device occurred due to improper operation of the gadget or installation of unlicensed software;
the phone failed as a result of natural disasters: flood, earthquake, fire;
Traces of moisture were found in the device;
you asked for a replacement after they tried to repair your mobile phone outside the service center.

Before you return your iPhone for replacement, you need to check whether this device is certified in Russia. Without this, the device cannot be replaced or repaired. If the phone has external defects (scratches, stains), a replacement will also be refused.

Security of personal data and repair

When you hand over your smartphone to the service, be sure to back it up to your computer or iCloud, because there is a chance that your personal data will not be saved .

Very often, the device is completely changed to a new one, and no one will transfer your data from the old smartphone to the new one.

Often, a device malfunction is related to the software part. And the first thing the service does is flash the device or reset it to factory settings. In this case, all data will be erased.

Smartphones with Find My iPhone enabled are not accepted for repairs. Disconnect it before submitting it for repair. Apple guarantees the safety of your data and that the device will not fall into third hands.

If you reflash an iPhone with the Find My Device function enabled, the Activation Lock function will be enabled on it, and it will be impossible to further service the device.

Fast discharge and battery replacement under warranty

The problem with the battery is the most common problem among Apple users: it discharges quickly, does not turn on in the cold, takes a long time to charge, etc.

In all devices, the battery is designed for a certain number of charging cycles. For Apple equipment this is about 1000 full charge cycles, for iPhone - 500 cycles . After this, the battery capacity is reduced to 80% and most often requires replacement to restore its original performance.

The service checks the remaining battery capacity and looks at the battery usage history over the past weeks. All this information is stored in technical log files, which are written to the device and can be read using diagnostic tools.

In the latest iOS and macOS firmware, all this information is available to the average user.

Therefore, if the battery is really faulty, the service technician will find it and replace it under warranty free of charge. But if the battery drains quickly when your child plays games, this is not a warranty case.

If the battery quickly runs out in the cold , or the iPhone turns off in the winter, this is not a warranty case. Manufacturer's warranty ONLY when using the device from 0 to +35 degrees.

Legal service period

Reference! According to the law, a phone handed in for repair cannot remain there for more than 45 days (clause 1, article 20 of the Labor Code).

Immediately after the end of this period, the client must receive his fully repaired device, a new completely similar device (happens often if the breakdown is not completely minor) or money back.

Also, if the deadlines under Art. 23 of the PZPP, the buyer has the right to demand compensation (1% of the amount daily) , but for this he will have to go to court.

On what grounds can they refuse and what to do about it?

You can get a refusal to recognize a case as covered by warranty by submitting your iPhone for repair in the same way as with any other device. In this case, the store will even be more interested in not incurring possible losses due to the high cost of the devices.

Non-warranty cases:

physical damage;
water entering the body;
dents, scratches and other non-critical damage;
traces of intentional interference with the operation of the device.

If the case is not recognized as covered by warranty, it will not be possible to repair it free of charge, but the buyer has the right to challenge this decision in court or re-apply before the end of his warranty period.

As a manufacturer and distributor of expensive and high-quality products, Apple, in its branches around the world, tries to provide the user with the best service and the right to free correction of manufacturing defects. Such assistance can be obtained from any authorized service, of which there are plenty in Russia.