Apple is Testing New Off-Site iPhone Repair Program

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Posted October 26, 2015 at 5:27pm by iClarified

Apple is testing a new iPhone repair program that would have Apple Stores send devices off-site for repairs, reports 9to5Mac.

Rather than completing all repairs in-store, Apple Genius Bars will send away a device for repair if it is unable to connect to iTunes, if it will not power on, or if it does not boot past the Apple logo. The program is being piloted in the United Sates, Europe, and Japan for the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6s and 6s Plus.

Apple has told employees that fixing these issues in the store takes significant amounts of time that could be instead allocated to serve other problems. If a customer agrees to have the iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus or 6s Plus sent off-site for diagnostics and repair, he or she will be loaned a 16GB iPhone 6 to use in the interim. This is the first time that Apple is offering loaner iPhone 6 units to customers and repairing the devices for general issues off-site. Apple expects the off-site repair process to take three to five business days.

The move is seen as a significant change for Genius Bar operations. Customers who fall under the program will have to wait up to a week to get back their device and use a low end loaner in the meanwhile. This is likely to upset users and make things more difficult for Genius Bar employees.

Let us know what you think of the change in the comments...

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Apple is Testing New Off-Site iPhone Repair Program

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Luciano - October 27, 2015 at 10:07am

I would not wait for my iPhone to be repaired , specially under the warranty I want a replacement period .fuck that

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Justice Jimmy - October 27, 2015 at 4:20pm

let make a petition for this to STOP!! WE need our replacement phone swap back!! no sending our phone offsite just to make apple more greedy. When iPhone is in warranty, they should HONOR an replacement phone! who with me??

gamerscul9870 - October 27, 2015 at 7:25pm

What if this makes the whole repair program go faster and quicker and easier to handle like expanding on anything with this?

YesItGreedy - October 27, 2015 at 9:38pm

jimmy is right , they want to save on replacement phone. they are greedy. APPLE IS LOSING IT TOUCH AS PEACE OF MIND IF THEY GO THIS WAY. Bad move for apple.

tubex45 - October 27, 2015 at 12:04am

What Apple should do is just replace the phone with a new if it's still under warranty. Let the customer have a new device. Customer leaves happy with a new phone. Old broken phone get sent to wherever for repair, get wiped out, sold as refurb, or if totally dead, then just scrap the thing. Apple have these iPhone sell at a very ridiculous profit per unit. It is a fair assumption that they are of the best quality, and if it falls short of that expectation, then the customer gets a new one. Repairing an Apple device UNDER warranty just leaves it at the same level as any other cheap phone out there. Apple devices should be doing much better than the competition. Apparently for Apple to think about repairs in store or giving the customer a repaired phone only tells us that the return rate for the newer devices is probably very high. Gone is the quality we used to expect from Apple.

gamerscul9870 - October 27, 2015 at 12:47am

That depends how damages the phone is and how much apple can do to fix it, by that it's not like they have a choice. That's the quality control they have over the owners fault of breaking it. It's on them.

King Rollo - October 26, 2015 at 10:17pm

Bad move tbh...

paulMOGG - October 26, 2015 at 10:17pm

I guess having repairs done are subject to country specific ... In HK every store Is full every day from opening to closing ... It's a huge turn over of Genius Bar appointments that if your iphone or any other product needs repairing you either need to get an appointment , which could be days away or you Que up for maybe 40 - 60 mins or more to get some service and therefore the Genius Bar just

Vallybrat - October 26, 2015 at 9:16pm

On Apples business stand point it's productive....On the customers end all there important personal data is in the hands of strangers and may be compromised....How trust worthy is this new system? What about identity theft? That's where my mindset is....just food for thought!

gamerscul9870 - October 26, 2015 at 9:59pm

They didn't specify where yet. I wouldn't give my hopes up on identity theft, but for those who do steal, how will they get the phone if there is a way to find the address of something that was sent (hard to explain this but it's a long process of some video trying to find information that's not personal). My point being that it can be too easy to find the thief even by location services.

Vallybrat - October 26, 2015 at 10:10pm

I'm referring to the info on your device that a repair person has access to....what are you talking about?

Urafrag76 - October 26, 2015 at 6:49pm

Btw floz you must not have read the article very well, they don't give you a iPhone 6, only borrow you one while your iPhone 5-5s is being repaired.

gamerscul9870 - October 26, 2015 at 6:54pm

1. It's flozz* 2. I never said anything that has to do with the article or what involves the iPhone 6. 3. My comment was obviously aiming to the guy who commented stating about buying a new phone made a year after the one last year over repairing the one just bought which I am saying I like my 5s and wouldn't replace it.

Urafrag76 - October 26, 2015 at 6:47pm

iPhones are more durable and have less issues than any phone I've owned period. I have 5-6 year old phones that still operate as well as iPods, I still have a white iPod shuffle that still has good battery life and works. I love the in store service period, I think they are probably going to Have to change due to the increase of people buying the iPhone. My preference would be for it to never change, but having apple-care probably covers most waiting and repairs. If I damage my screen I'll just dump it in the sink for a while and get a new phone altogether. I heart all my apple equipment, not because I'm an idiot but because they simply make the best operating system and hardware at this point.

Wertyuioo - October 26, 2015 at 7:23pm

Cant agree, iPhone 4S -3 replacements, iPhone 5 -> 6 replacements, iPhone 6 Plus - 2 phones replaced. Waiting for 6S Plus, I will see how many times I will have to return it. Issues I have experienced : dead camera, no signal, lcd too loose, massive light leaks, unresponsive lock button, unresponsive home button...I believe I was extremely "lucky" to experience all these issues.

rat.GT - October 27, 2015 at 1:45pm

What kind of back-alley black market are you buying your iPhones from? I have owned every single iPhone since the 2G and I have yet to return one for repair or replacement....

justabrake - October 26, 2015 at 6:30pm

I think Apple should have off site for repairs but also don't have people seeking repairs in stores looks like Apple products have more problems and shows new customers how much they really break down !

rocchet119 - October 26, 2015 at 5:35pm

Who needs repairs, I just buy a new phone everytime. Saves the hassle of waiting.

stevenlacross - October 26, 2015 at 5:52pm

Love the sarcasm.

gamerscul9870 - October 26, 2015 at 5:57pm

What if I was still happy with what I have and didn't need anything more like the 5s and it's size? What if that was enough for me to enjoy?

RWR - October 27, 2015 at 5:51am

Even if they did give you a new phone, rather than let you borrow it, you'd really complain about them upgrading your phone to a newer one?? You really are an apple customer

Prejudiced Tim - October 27, 2015 at 1:58pm

Who needs the hassle of buying new things..I just steal them....