RSSDon't drop that phone! Fragile devices threaten customer loyalty
By Carmi Levy | Published August 31, 2009, 5:31 PM
The iPhone is a technical marvel, a full-on computer that happens to fit in your pocket. It isn't alone: The average BlackBerry is also pretty magical in its own right, as are high end phones from Nokia, HTC and a host of other vendors.
Fantastically capable as they are, don't drop yours. Don't get it wet, either. Don't stress or damage it in any way. Because if you think you can simply bring it back to the store where you got it and swap it out under warranty for a replacement unit, think again. Violate the warranty terms and you'll be buying yourself a new one.
Despite growing discontent in Apple's support forums surrounding overheating iPhone batteries --and a similarly increasing frequency of cracked screens that may very well be related to the battery issue-- the company contends there have been no confirmed iPhone 3GS overheating incidents. The company says it is investigating a mere handful of customer complaints, but isn't admitting it's got a design or production-related issue with the device. Even allowing for the usual vendor underestimation, that total number of affected units likely represents only a tiny minority of in service iPhones. Still, any blemish on a popular product can be troublesome to vendor and buyer alike.
Apple, you've got a problem
Apple's refusal to admit there may be something wrong with the iPhone's basic engineering is crucial to the future expectations of owners unfortunate enough to own a portable Apple-branded toaster oven. As long as Apple denies it's got a problem, it can easily shift the blame to the consumer. By claiming consumer behavior voided the warranty, Apple keeps a lid on its support costs.
This isn't a new strategy for Apple. Earlier this year, support forums were crackling with reports of iPhones dying after their internal moisture sensors were tripped. In those cases, Apple's response to consumers was similarly intransigent: You dropped it in water, took it to the gym for a sweaty workout, or kept it in your non-air-conditioned kitchen for an entire day while you slow-cooked Friday night supper, tough luck.
To a certain degree, I appreciate Apple's position. There are plenty of people out there who would willingly abuse a liberal product warranty and see it as a get-free-hardware card, a manufacturer-insured justification for irresponsible behavior. Why bother keeping your device protected when you can simply pick up another one, no questions asked? While there will always be customers out there who willingly abuse the system to avoid paying hundreds of dollars in repair or replacement costs, Apple's get-tough approach nevertheless puts it at risk of ticking off consumers who take a decidedly more mature approach to caring for their devices.
Our growing mobile reliance
It may seem like a trivial matter, an extension of the usual cat-and-mouse game that buyers play when they buy complex electronics only to have them fail long before their expected design life is over. But it's anything but trivial as consumers and businesses alike lean increasingly heavily on mobile devices. The industry's inability to effectively deal with durability and consumers' relative naivete in not demanding more consistent warranty terms could hinder our ability to get the most out of these otherwise game changing technologies.
Although Apple gets the headlines these days because it owns the most visible mobile technology brand, this applies to every other smartphone vendor as well. The fine print that no one reads in the excited rush to buy that shiny new wonderphone and get out of the store is coming back to bite some buyers. Left unchecked, some vendors may find themselves on the wrong side of consumer expectations.
It ain't easy being mobile
Unlike desktop PCs that just sit there for their entire lives, smartphones don't have it so easy. Even if we think we're being careful with them, they're nevertheless exposed to environments that would bring a conventional PC to its knees. We leave them in the car on a summer's day, toss them in a backpack for a mid-winter commute to work or keep them on the bathroom vanity while we shower. We don't follow the battery care instructions to the letter (or at all) and I doubt anyone anywhere can honestly claim to have never dropped the thing.
But it's hard to believe vendors couldn't foresee this kind of end-user experience. We've been carrying cell phones for a couple of decades, now, and that's given us plenty of time to get used to dealing with wireless carriers and the hardware vendors that supply them (and us) with the latest and greatest phones. Millions of us have already called our carriers with countless tales of woe, and their help desk logs are doubtless stuffed with insight into how devices fail. Hardware vendors have on occasion managed to bring toughened devices to market --Motorola stands out as a vendor that stuck with it for longer than most-- but today's buyers barely pay attention to durability.
They should.
Arm yourself
As we're peppering the in-store representative with every last question about how much memory it has, whether our neighbourhood gets decent 3G coverage and what it'll take to keep the monthly voice and data bill under three digits, we need to challenge them on durability and warranty as well. Think about how you'll be using your device, then ask what happens if it fails. Get answers in writing, if at all possible, and don't be afraid to walk if you think a given carrier and hardware vendor won't stand behind a product and a reasonably careful consumer (you, of course.)
The responsibility extends to Apple and competing smartphone vendors as well. As they decide how conciliatory or aggressive to be when responding to apparent failure patterns, they'd do well to consider how their responses might influence future buying decisions. As consumers increasingly demand fair (not overly generous, not scandalously rigid, just fair) after-sale warranty support, vendors do themselves a disservice by assuming market leadership translates into permanent customer loyalty. If anything, loyalty is the first thing that evaporates when smartphone vendors play hardball with their customers.
Carmi Levy is a Canadian-based independent technology analyst and journalist still trying to live down his past life leading help desks and managing projects for large financial services organizations. He comments extensively in a wide range of media, and works closely with clients to help them leverage technology and social media tools and processes to drive their business.
Lol I keep seeing Iphone case ads on this article page
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|i know this too well. i had a homer Simpson moment walking in a pool with my HTC touch dual in my pocket forgetting it was in there DOH!. had to buy a new phone straight out which cost me $299.00 with no contract. the sad thing is $299.00 was the price for both smart phones and decent stand alone cellphones so your screwed either way.
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|Many home contents insurance policies will also cover you (to a limited amount) personal possessions which are lost or damaged, either accidently or otherwise.
So really - it's all a storm in a (cracked) teacup. Chances are you're already covered for the cost of a new iPhone / Blackberry anyway.
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|Yes they will cover you, IF you 1st pay the deductible, usually $500.
Then your rates will rise.
So this isn't really an option.
Apple just needs to make a better product.
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|True, there's usually an excess - the amount would depend on your policy. Similarly with your rates - not guarranteed to rise, but likely in all honesty.
Worth bearing in mind though that Apple do not make the batteries - they merely license them. And it's a trade-off. If you want long battery life, you have to accept the liabilities that go with having a fabulously dangerous c***tail of chemicals in your pocket. Battery technology has improved in recent years, but not that much.
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|so much for GPS if I ever end up on a deserted island lol
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|I mostly agree about the declining durability standards in electronics. But there's a far more aggravating problem than this: the steadily decreasing *usabiliy* of these devices. With the exception of the iPhone and the QUERTY Blackberries, there are precious few smartphones or PDAs available (at least in the US) that actually seem designed for human beings. Microscopic keyboards, illogical control schemes, torturous button arrangements and convoluted, anti-intuitive interfaces seem to be the order of the day on far too many products right now. Its as if the same design philosophy that produced the abomination known as the Aero interface for PCs has taken over most of the mobile sector as well.
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|Besides the fact that Apple and ma bell are both extremely greedy, I don't want to show any pity for the 90% of the owners of some kind of electronic gadget, be it a smartphone, gps or a music player...heck, even a watch...they just don't understand what they have is not a stone...they heap all kinds of abuses on them...throw them, ask their pet to fetch it for them...I could go on and on...
and the rest 10% take the crap from companies like these two who don't have enough courtesy to treat customers as innocent until proven guilty...
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|Ask the salespeople if the phone will continue working after an accidental fall of 36 inches, my desks are slightly lower. If they say yes, then let it drop, and check it out. It is still their phone and they said it wouldn't hurt!
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|be wary of the "you break you bought it" clause!
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|Moisture sensors on the outside of the iPhone are a design flaw, IMO. Sweaty hands holding your iPhone near the dock can void your warranty - even though that obviously wouldn't damage the phone (or if it does, that's a design flaw also).
Apple's iPhone warranty isn't worth the paper they print it on. But they're not alone in that regard: I've had similar problems getting warranty support from Nokia, Samsung & SE. Motorola seemed to be the only ones who played ball consistently.
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|I agree. The water sensor on all phones seems to be a huge flaw. I had a blackberry and the water sensor had turned red indicating it had been wet - probably from rain or something - it certainly was never dropped in water.
I used the phone about another year until getting an iphone. Had I had an issue with it during that time, it wouldn't have been covered simply because the sensor had turned red, even though water would have had nothing to do with it failing.
At a minimum, I think the carriers should be able to replace the water sensor somehow if you bring it in and its indicating it got wet and the phone is still working - its clear at that point that water wasn't the cause of damage.
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|First of all, the only thing that's truly a marvel in the tech world is the ability to run Windows on a hand held computer. The Windows OS is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Second, manufacturers are not required by any law to make durable and reliable phones. If your touch screen crack because you put a little too much pressure on it that's your problem. If you're standing next to the oven in a restaurant and your phone overheats that's your problem. If you're using your phone in the hot tub at your fitness club and the steam causes moisture damage, you guessed it, it's your problem.
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|This thread has exactly what to do with Windows again?
Are you trying to be the Costello to Internetworld7's Abbot? (Sorry Abbot and Costello, for the comparison...may you rest in peace)
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|I was referring to the beginning of the article where the author thought the iPhone was a technical marvel.
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|Saddest..troll..evar.
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|why does everyone on this website have to be so contentious, damn
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|I had an Iphone 3GS. I knew that the warrenty did not cover drop damage and that even the extended warrenty did not cover this kind of damage. I was told that Apple forced AT&T to not put the Iphone under there AT&T service plan so that they can sell there Applecare extended plans.
Well about a year ago my insurance company Allstate said that they cover dropped equipment and its protected under the renters insurance plan.
IT IS NOT.
About 2 weeks ago my iphone which had a Mophie Juicepack Air protecting 5 of the 6 sides happened to slip from my hands and fall on its face. OF ALL THE PLACES IT HAD TO FALL ON ITS FACE!!!! Shattered the glass. To the Iphone's credit it still worked but it looked like a spiderweb all over the screen.
I called Apple they said its not covered and they would charge me 200 bucks for a replacement phone. Called AT&T they said its not covered and that I would need to talk to apple. I called my Insurance company which told me they would cover it THEY DID NOT!!! THE AGENT LIED TO ME LAST YEAR! Had I know that my Iphone had NO PROTECTION from accidental damamge I would have NEVER BOUGHT IT!!! Its like buying a car that is not allowed to have accident insurance! Everyone drops there phone once a in a while!! WHY NOT COVERAGE FROM THIS!??
So I gave AT&T and Apple a big F you very much and canceled my plan with AT&T and vowed to never buy an Iphone ever again. I also canceled my insurance policy with Allstate and went with another company (Nationwide) (which by the way also does not protect your portable electronics during transportation or droppage but at least they tell me that right at the get go!)
I now have a Palm Pre WITH THE SERVICE PLAN FROM SPRINT!!!(Saves me about 20 bucks a month WITH GPS Navigation)
Apple and AT&T have NO consumer protection for there Iphone's the phone may be good but they pretty much screw you afterwards.
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|Just curious:
Are you going to post this in every iPhone thread? Yeah, it sucks. I'd be more pissed at the agent that told you he'd cover it though, rather than the two companies who never lied to you about it. :)
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|Hey, you should post this in every iPhone thread. But in all seriousness, the sad truth is that if you don't have it in writing, you don't have it.
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|lol I noticed it was copy/pasted...
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|Just needed to be said, in everything I can find, so people are aware. That buying this phone is like buying a car THAT YOU CAN'T INSURE! It needs to be known it needs to be NOW.
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|The problem is, you can insure it. While your AllState agent was slime, he's not the only purveyor of insurance in existence. The only issue then is the deductible.
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|Well name off a few because I spent a day calling insurance companies, from progressive to gieco to nationwide, they ALL said they dont cover accidental damage.
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|State Farm charged me $45 for a floater policy on my laptop, but it has no deductible. My phone is cheap enough I can replace it out of pocket, but one of my co-workers has his insured as well, though I do not know through what service.
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|Did you look at the insurance papers before you signed them? If it isn't in there, it's not included in the policy no matter what the salesman told you. As someone (Yogi Berra? Casey Stengel?) once said, "An oral agreement ain't worth the paper it's printed on."
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|Here's an idea, get some freakin' insurance on your device! Most devices aren't worth the money but cell phones in my opinion happen to be the ones that seem to need it. Even if the company you got it from won't insure your particular device a quick search online offers you some options, BTW Renter's insurance is NOT a good option when it comes to covering you're little pride and joy :P Squaretrade seems to be one that pops up a lot.
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|There is no insurance for the Iphone that covers drop damage, well none that someone can get after a month of purchase. Something apple and at&t should have told consumers, consumers have gotten used to there phones being durable enough to drop once and the unit would be fine. The Iphone allthrough a great device is very fragile. Im not accident prone I might drop a gadget once in 20 years but damn I like having standard cell phone service contracts that cover this kind of damage.
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|state farm insurance offers insurance on drops for laptops and phones it was a $15 every 6 month option on top of there renters insurance.
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|Even though those old cell phone bricks weren't the least bit attractive or trendy, they sure could take a beating. Consumers need to realize that the slimmer a device becomes, the more likely it is to suffer a hardware malfunction due to environmental or usage conditions.
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|Someone should really introduce this race to something called "Personal Responsibility"; Also known in some circles as "Integrity".
Everyone wants corporations to have these attributes, but the *moment* anyone asks it of them, it's all someone elses fault, responsibility or problem.
If it is something that occurs during normal use: It's an issue. (Extended GPS use causing overheating being one of them)
If it is because you dropped it: Learn from your mistake and get over it.
Yeah, it's Apple. We enjoy picking on them... But entertainment aside,
NEWSFLASH:
Things break when you drop them.
I really didn't think people needed our very own Cptn. Obvious to tell them that. The real story here is the reaction and how it's turned from being *our* fault for being clumsy oafs, to *their* fault for not making it light, comfortable to hold, and stronger than a fraking tank.
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|Even while I agree most people are not careful enough with their devices sometimes devices have real design problems. The first Curve (an 8300) I had started to get dust between the screen and its protector in less than two months. They said I stored/used it in dusty places. Forgive me... I work in this world, there is dust everywhere but never affected any of my phones so quickly. The second Curve I have now, an 8320, has no dust after more than 6 months so I think the first one was really defective.
The problem is that both sides are not honest and so they don't know who trust, but I think that they should invest more R&D dollars in endurance development than in trivial things. New devices are so fragile.
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|its nice to have a decent warrenty on an item, even if you might have to pay an extra 50$ that will cover accidental damage etc
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|But the warranty doesn't cover it and they bought it anyway...
It's not like they had stated from the beginning that they'd cover user caused damage and then backpedaled. They never covered such damage...on any of their products.
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|I agree PC_Tool, but as DonGato says it's a case of the devices getting lower in quality too.
My old, old Nokia 3330 was indestructable. So was my HTC SPV C500 for that matter.
More recent phones have died considerably quicker.
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|Paul,
You are comparing a non-touchscreen with low power (CPU/RAM) requirements with a lower profile touchscreen phone with much heavier requirements. They have to cram more heat into less space. Aside from the material costs alone required to get the "shell" to be more resistant, you've still got to deal with the heat in regards to the actual hardware.
I am certain it's not an easy problem to solve...and one that didn't exist in your old Nokia or HTC (at least in anywhere near the magnitude it does on the iPhone).
This is also why I will never own one unless they clam-shell or "slide" it...effectively doubling the size (and adding a nifty keypad). As it is, I'll probably wait until a decent Android, Maemo, or WinMo 6.5 phone comes out because I doubt Apple will ever release an iPhone with a keypad...and they just are not thick enough to protect the hardware or shell from heat-related damage.
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|whal i agree about people taking responsibility I also feel that if a company is going to design and sell a product they need to take what is likely to happen to that device into account and design accordingly.
I cant tell you how many times my mothers omnia has been dropped short distances to a table or the floor and even down a flight of stairs, and it works perfectly, where as my buddies iphone 3gs screen cracked when it fell 6-7inches to a carpeted floor........oh and b4 that it was over heating ALOT, and no it wasn't jail broken......then apple wants him to pay around 200bucks for the screen to be replaced, thats not kool if you ask me......they could have designed it so the screen was more durable.....
and why arent other cellphones/smartphones/pda's getting a rep for exploding?
why cant apple let the USER replace their own batt?
these are just 2 of the reasons I wouldn't own an iphone, Oh and FYI even if you have apple care, Apple charges to replace the batt in your phone, no matter how old it is, it could be a week old and they would charge you to replace the defective batt.
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|honestly, of all the smartphones i have seen, 4 stick out as being very durable.
Blackberry curve(and others based on the same design) it can take abuse and not fall apart.
Samsung Omnia, just use a screen protector to stop scratches and u are set, i have seen them dive in toilets and still endup working 100% fine, fall down stairs, exct.
Samsung blackjack(all models i have seen) this is just samsungs take on the blackberry, tho i like its OS better, really is the one of the above i would choose first.
and the Cect i9 (and other Cect models) are quite good, I have seen a few of their phones take dives from high places and still work, one fell off of my roof when a roofer was giveing us an estimate, it hit the pavement bounced and kept ringing(was his wife ROFL) had some dings but still worked like it never fell!!!!
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|I like the design of my Samsung Omnia and I've dropped it a few times ( I am a bit clumsy) with just a minor scratch on the screen and some marks on the side its been working fine. It is also a touchscreen device and its still kicking, no hardware keyboard though but I prefer the soft keyboard now.
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|No toilet damage, but I've dropped my Omnia several times on the pavement its banged up on the sides a bit but still looks nice with a minor scratch on the screen. But I love this phone, and the 6.5 rom works quite nice on it :D
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