Apple is also using "hunger marketing" to replace batteries. It has entered "menopause"

On December 9, Apple's vice president of global after-sales service went to the China Consumers Association to explain again the abnormal shutdown of the iPhone.

Apple said it will continue to investigate the abnormal shutdown issue and will add an additional diagnostic function to the iOS software update for unplanned models to help the company improve after-sales service in a targeted manner. The China Consumers Association said it will continue to pay attention.

Nearly half a month has passed since Apple announced free battery replacements for affected users, but many consumers have reported that their battery replacements were not as smooth as they had imagined, and instead they were tricked.

Currently, batteries are out of stock in both Apple stores and authorized repair shops, and users need to wait a week or even more than two months to replace their batteries.

In addition, the difficulty of repairing Apple phones has existed for many years, but Apple has not made any improvements. In November this year, Apple updated its repair policy again, making repairs even more difficult.

It takes up to two months to replace the battery

In early November, many Apple users complained online that their iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus frequently shut down automatically, even shutting down abnormally at 60% battery, and were difficult to restart without a power source. Consumers complained bitterly about this.

After the incident, Apple said it would conduct an investigation, and the China Consumers Association also intervened in the investigation, requiring Apple to respond to the issue within 10 days.

On November 20, Apple released the "iPhone 6s Unexpected Shutdown Plan" on its official website, proposing to provide free battery replacement service for iPhone 6s phones produced between September and October 2015 that have abnormal shutdown problems.

However, many Apple phone users have reported that the abnormal shutdown problem also exists in iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 6s models whose production dates are not between September and October 2015.

At the same time, many users and netizens said that their mobile phones were eligible for free battery replacement, but when they went to the official stores and authorized repair shops, they were told that the batteries were out of stock.

In this regard, Blue Whale TMT conducted a field survey. At the same time, many consumers recently reported that the battery replacement cycle for Apple iPhone 6S is as long as one month.

On December 5, Blue Whale TMT went to the Apple retail store in Xidan Joy City. The clerk told Blue Whale TMT that after the announcement was made, only a few customers requested battery replacements, but recently the number of people has increased. "Hundreds of customers come to make appointments for battery replacements every day, but the batteries have to be booked in batches and it takes at least two months to arrive."

On December 11, Blue Whale TMT conducted a survey at Apple's Chaoyang Joy City retail store and found that the number of people coming to replace batteries was more than half less than that of the Xidan Joy City store.

“All customers are required to register in the system, and we will send you an email notification when the goods arrive.” As for how long it will take for the goods to arrive, the clerk said it would take at least one month and at most two months.

Blue Whale TMT visited and found that Apple's retail stores in Wangfujing, Xidan Joy City, Sanlitun and China Central Place Shopping Center all said that the free batteries were out of stock and that it would take two weeks to more than a month to wait.

"It takes so long to replace a battery, and Apple does not provide spare phones during this month, so you need to find a phone yourself." Many users expressed their helplessness. "There is no other way, we can only wait." User Mr. Qi said helplessly to Blue Whale TMT.

"In order to replace the battery, I went to two directly-sold stores and one authorized store, and they all said they were out of stock and I needed to wait. Apple's solution is equivalent to no solution at all," user Ms. Wang said angrily.

This phenomenon shows that Apple still has some shortcomings in after-sales service. It should have made a replacement plan before the official announcement and replaced the battery for users as soon as possible. This deviates from Apple's original intention of starting with consumer experience.

Mobile phone stores that "take advantage of the situation" and retail stores with "double standards"

During Blue Whale TMT's visit, it was found that at the entrance of some Apple retail stores, several men and women would ask passers-by every day whether they wanted to repair or sell their mobile phones.

Then, Blue Whale TMT came forward and asked, "Can you replace the 6S battery? How long will it take and how much will it cost?"

"We are an Apple authorized store. The store is nearby and there is no need to queue. It costs 300 yuan to replace the original battery, and the battery is guaranteed for one year." A middle-aged woman told Blue Whale TMT.

While Blue Whale TMT was talking to the woman, a middle-aged man approached and asked if she wanted to replace the battery.

"The official store requires appointments and queues, and they are out of batteries right now. Many people come to us to change their batteries. There is no need to wait, it only takes a few minutes." The man said that his store is an Apple third-party authorized store.

"Why do you have the product while the retail stores are out of stock?" Blue Whale TMT asked.

The middle-aged man replied, "Apple retail stores do this on purpose. It's actually a way to queue up. If everyone lines up here to exchange, how long will it take? They are not out of stock."

Blue Whale TMT then went into the retail store to conduct an investigation. We learned from the Genius Bar on the basement floor of the Xidan retail store that many people came to replace their batteries. A clerk said that if you are in a hurry, you can go to the Baibang authorized store on the fifth floor of Xidan to replace them.

When Blue Whale TMT asked Baibang if they also needed to wait, the clerk said helplessly, "The only thing we can do is wait."

In this regard, some users complained that Apple's after-sales service was chaotic and cumbersome. Some users even said that they still trust Apple retail stores, after all, they are official stores with security guarantees.

Recently, news of Apple changing its iPhone warranty policy has spread again. Blue Whale TMT saw the following in the warranty policy on Apple's official website:

1. For warranty reasons, Apple can repair or replace parts including but not limited to batteries, displays, motherboards, etc.

2. Replaced parts and accessories are warrantied for the remainder of the original one-year warranty period or 90 days from the date of repair or replacement, whichever is longer.

Before the policy change, if you purchased a Chinese version of an iPhone, then if you encountered a problem with its use, you could go to an Apple store and directly replace it with a new iPhone. The old phone would then be restored to its factory settings, and the one-year warranty for the new phone would be recalculated from the date of replacement.

In 2014, CCTV's 315 Gala exposed Apple's "double standards" and its after-sales policies in the Chinese market that were different from those in developed countries, and that Apple discriminated against Chinese consumers.

Apple claims "replacement instead of repair" and "whole device exchange" in China, but it does not actually replace the entire device. It usually uses the back cover of the old phone to evade China's mobile phone "three guarantees" regulations.

However, the "whole device exchange" is a scam, and the back cover of the phone cannot be replaced. Since Apple phones are highly integrated and difficult to repair, Apple generally does not repair faulty phones, but "replaces them instead of repairing them." Apple's after-sales staff call this treatment method "whole device exchange."

Later, the problem was exposed, and Apple responded that it would make corrections in China. This led to the current policy of replacing the entire machine and recalculating the warranty period after the replacement of the entire machine.

Blue Whale TMT specially visited the Apple retail store in Xidan, where a clerk told Blue Whale TMT that the policy would not only change for old phones, but also for new phones.

"Starting from iPhone 7, if the device is not purchased from Apple's official website or Apple's official retail store, or if the device does not have an invoice, it will not be repaired at the official retail store, and can only be repaired at an Apple-authorized store."

This means that, except for machines purchased from the official website, future warranty issues will arise. And Apple is quietly playing a "double standard" in China.

Changing warranty policies to prevent scalpers, but at the expense of consumers

As we mentioned in the previous article, if your phone is damaged, you can get an official replacement and enjoy an extended one-year warranty.

The purpose of Apple's change in warranty policy is to crack down on the gray industry chain of phone replacement formed by scalpers: many scalpers and speculators take advantage of Apple's phone replacement policy, maliciously damage the iPhone, then go to Apple stores to replace it with a new one, and then sell it at a high price to make a profit.

Once Apple changes its after-sales policy, the strategy of replacing the phone will be basically eliminated, thus cutting off the profit chain of scalpers.

"We can replace almost 20 to 30 machines every day, each costing 300 yuan. If you want to get a new machine on the same day, you will have to pay several hundred yuan at home." A shop owner in Zhongguancun who sells and repairs iPhones told Blue Whale TMT.

During the visit, the term "replacing a phone" was often mentioned in Zhongguancun, as if it were a daily routine. Many shop owners said that replacing a phone has formed an industrial chain, mainly done by authorized stores and dealers, because they can access the GSX system, which is the dedicated backend for Apple after-sales service, and only those with permission can replace a phone.

Most of these new phones have flowed into the market, some are sold as new phones, and some are bought individually by consumers. "Because the replaced phones are the same as new ones, with a one-year warranty, and the price is one-third cheaper, do you think you will buy them?" a clerk said.

Currently, there are two types of machines in the Apple replacement market, those with cases and those without cases. Those with cases are those that have been repaired or maintained by previous users and recorded in Apple's backend system, while those without cases are those that have no records.

During the replacement process, the former usually cannot be replaced because of the case, and eliminating the case has become a link in this industry chain. "The case can be eliminated, ranging from 300 to 500 yuan, and basically it can be eliminated from Apple's backend." These machines with the case eliminated will be taken back to Apple after-sales service for replacement like the case-free machines and then flow into the market.

An after-sales staff member who has been engaged in the industry for many years said, "As long as there is content in Apple's backend system that can be used to change the phone, someone will definitely take advantage of the loophole to change the phone. Apple cannot prevent this unless the content for changing the phone disappears from the backend."

We found that no matter what kind of machine it is, in the hands of these people, they can turn it into a brand new one. This shows how long the entire machine replacement industry chain is in China.

Some analysts believe that this move is a change in Apple’s repair policy, which may be due to the recent decline in Apple’s sales. If too many phones are replaced, then not many consumers will buy new phones.

Apple's policy change means that from now on iPhones can only be repaired and not replaced, and the repair warranty is only 90 days.

Although the new policy will be effective in combating scalpers, it will harm the interests of ordinary consumers to a certain extent. After all, consumers not only need strict warranty qualifications such as invoices, but also need to wait for long on-site repairs or return to the factory for repairs.

As for Apple's "double standards" again, on December 7, Apple was once again criticized by the China Consumers Association for the unfair contract terms in the "Apple Repair Terms" and "iPhone Repair Report". This time it was not just one region, but six provinces and cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Jiangsu, and Shandong.

The China Consumers Association, together with the five provinces and cities, pointed out that Apple has five unfair terms: 1. Refurbished parts and old parts can be used for repairs and the ownership is decided by the consumer; 2. If product damage is caused by repairs, only the repair fee will be compensated; 3. Transport damage cannot be repaired free of charge; 4. Failure to pick up the phone within the prescribed time limit is deemed as the consumer giving up ownership; 5. Making choices on behalf of consumers and limiting the scope of liability at their own discretion.

Lawyer: Apple should abide by Chinese laws

Through investigation and analysis of numerous rights protection cases, the "Comments on Unfair Format Clauses in Apple Repair Contracts" jointly issued by the China Consumers Association and six provinces and cities listed Apple's unfair format clauses in the contract, such as "damage caused by transportation cannot be repaired free of charge", "failure to pick up the phone within the deadline is deemed as the consumer giving up ownership", and "making choices on behalf of consumers and limiting the scope of liability", which have harmed the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.

Faced with the iPhone, the "smart brick" that claims to "change the world", the unpleasant repair experiences of many "Apple fans" have caused the relationship between Apple phones, which have almost become a "street standard", and Chinese users to drop to a "freezing point".

Some lawyers believe that Apple intentionally uses refurbished spare parts or components, which violates the "Three Guarantees" regulations.

According to the "Regulations on the Liability of Repair, Replacement and Return" and other relevant regulations, during the warranty period, the repairer should use new parts and components. In addition, according to Article 21 of the "Regulations on the Liability of Repair, Replacement and Return of Mobile Phone Products", after the replacement, the warranty period of the product will be recalculated from the date of replacement.

According to the Property Law, old parts or old spare parts are part of the mobile phone purchased by consumers, and consumers have the right to possess, use, benefit from and dispose of them. Otherwise, it infringes on the consumer's ownership.

Liu Junhai, vice president of the China Consumers Association and professor of the Law School of Renmin University of China, said in an interview with the media: "A close look at Apple's repair terms shows that there are many clauses that exempt sellers and repairers from liability, increase consumer liability and infringe on consumer rights. According to the relevant provisions of my country's Consumer Protection Law, Contract Law and other relevant provisions, these are all invalid standard clauses."

These controversial repair terms are irritating consumers.

Zhou Lijuan, deputy secretary general of Ningbo Consumer Protection Committee, said in an interview with the media that the Contract Law and the Consumer Rights Protection Law all have provisions for unfair terms. Specifically, the China Consumers Association commented on several unfair terms of Apple.

She pointed out that the item "the replaced device belongs to Apple" violates the national product three guarantees regulations. Several other items are obviously unfair, and are overbearing clauses that violate the contract law.

Unfair terms usually appear in standard contracts. A standard contract is a contract that is unilaterally drafted by the seller and signed by the consumer. Unfair terms are clauses in standard contracts where the operator exempts the consumer's rights in order to expand its own rights. Such contract clauses are obviously unfair and invalid.

"As an individual consumer, the cost of filing a lawsuit for a mobile phone is too high. Therefore, complaints and appeals are more feasible ways."

At the same time, some legal experts have suggested filing a public interest lawsuit against Apple.

Apple has a very high market share worldwide, but its after-sales service is so lagging behind. As a world-renowned company, why can't it provide consumers with the most direct and convenient service?

In this regard, Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the China Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association, said in an interview with the media that Article 52 of my country's Consumer Protection Law stipulates that if an operator provides goods or services that cause property damage to consumers, he shall bear civil liabilities such as repair, re-manufacture, replacement, return, replenishment of goods, refund of goods and service fees, or compensation for losses in accordance with the provisions of the law or the agreement of the parties.

"Apple should abide by Chinese laws, respect the rights of Chinese consumers, actively fulfill its obligations, take the initiative to assume responsibilities, create convenient and smooth conditions for repairs and replacements, minimize consumer losses, and if losses have already been caused to consumers, compensate consumers for their losses in accordance with the law. Deliberately delaying or failing to actively resolve problems will not only fail to evade responsibility, but will also increase losses," said Chen Yinjiang.

Chen Yinjiang believes that judging from media investigations and consumer complaints, many consumers are still dissatisfied with Apple's handling of the situation. Some consumers reported that their iPhones also had shutdown problems, but were not covered by free battery replacements. Some consumers even reported that their iPhones exploded. Apple should attach great importance to the problems reported by consumers, investigate the causes as soon as possible, and reasonably resolve consumer demands.

At the same time, he said that Apple mobile phones automatically shut down under normal use, and some even exploded, which obviously infringed the legitimate rights and interests of many unspecified consumers and met the conditions for public interest litigation stipulated in my country's Consumer Protection Law. He suggested that consumer organizations at or above the provincial level file consumer public interest litigation against Apple in accordance with the law and use legal means to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the majority of unspecified consumers.

Apple has entered menopause

Recently, some foreign users have reported that the new MacBook Pro has a "flower screen" problem, including random red or black stripes appearing on the screen and unrecoverable computer crashes.

According to user feedback, these problems also have common characteristics. Many users reported that the above problems occurred on the screen when they were using the video encoding tool Adobe Media Encoder. Other users said that the screen flower problem also occurred when they used Apple's own album application.

The main problem with the new MacBook Pro is that the desktop background can be displayed through the front windows of all applications. Other users have reported many different problems, including random red or black stripes on the screen and unrecoverable crashes of the computer.

Among the 15-inch MacBook Pro screen problems reported by users, some models use integrated graphics cards, while others use discrete graphics cards.

Apple released a patch last week to fix the problem, but it's not the first time that Apple's MacBook Pro has had display issues.

In 2014, Apple officially announced that it would provide free repairs for MacBook Pros sold between February 2011 and February 2013 to address problems such as video distortion, video not displaying, and unexpected system restarts.

Previously, users who bought MacBook Pros produced in early or late 2011 had repeatedly complained about the failure of the independent graphics card, resulting in display problems such as screen flickering or image distortion. These users even filed a class action lawsuit against Apple. The lawsuit requires Apple to acknowledge the existence of the problem and repair the affected notebooks.

Previously, Blue Whale TMT was the first to report that a Mr. Chen in Yunnan had an iPhone 7 Plus whose battery exploded a few weeks after purchase.

On the evening of November 8, Mr. Chen accidentally dropped his phone on the ground while using it normally. When he was about to pick it up, he found that the phone had started to emit black smoke and was vibrating violently. The phone's display was completely shattered and separated from the middle frame.

Mr. Chen told us that he had read many cases of Samsung users defending their rights and Blue Whale TMT's reports on Apple's MacBook Air. He found that ordinary consumers have almost no status when facing these so-called big companies, and many of the conditions are unfair terms.

Mr. Chen was worried that his phone would be confiscated by Apple, making it difficult to defend his rights. For Mr. Chen, the loss of property was a minor matter. The biggest blow was the mental blow. He had lost confidence in Samsung and wanted to choose Apple, but found that Apple was also exploding.

It is reported that this is not the first iPhone explosion. There have been more than 10 explosions around the world. However, Apple responded that the explosions were caused by external forces. This statement is exactly the same as Samsung's. I am afraid that Apple may repeat Samsung's mistakes.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.