Amazon Support Deserve an Applause

Or even a standing ovation?

I bought an iPad in Dec 2021 (25 months ago) thru Amazon. It started having intermittent charging issues a few months ago and completely stopped charging last week.
Took into an Apple store and they stated that it was accidental damage to the charging port. The ipad is great condition without a single scratch and we have been taking good care of it.
Even spoke to the manager at the store who wouldn’t budge and said the best they could do is at-cost replacement of the ipad ($425) because they can’t even replace the charging port due to the design of the ipad!

Anyway, asked for the report of denial of warranty claim and started making a complaint thru fair trading. While in the process of that, it hit me that I bought it thru Amazon and I should give their support a try. 2 minutes later, I have a return label in my email for a refund.

I thought I will make this post to acknowledge Amazon support.

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TLDR: buy thru Amazon when you can even if it is the same price as other stores.

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Comments

  • +13

    Amazon support has overall been good to me too.

  • +9

    Where are the iToddlers who keep saying Apple has amazing support?

    • -5

      I kinda believe that damage to the port is likely due to user negligence. If OP broke it themself and didn't get Apple Care+ then it makes sense they wouldn't fix it. OP is lucky that Amazon did this for them.

      • Wow they really do come out of the woodwork

        • -6

          I'm guessing it's pretty easy to tell if the charging port has been physically damaged.

          • +4

            @AustriaBargain: Cool, but there is zero evidence here. Perhaps the charging port looks visually perfect we don't know. Yet you are making baseless accusations and defending a 3 trillion dollar company without even getting paid for it.

    • +2

      Your toddler doesn’t need an iPad lol

    • +4

      Apple replaced my iPad when I had a similar issue. They just said “ have you backed it up?” then gave me the replacement unit. It might depend who you hit.

      I would’ve gone to another Apple place to have another punt but if Amazon came to the party fair enough.

      I’ve never been refused a replacement for a faulty device before but I haven’t had too many that had faults either. My iPod generation 4 is still running.

      • +1

        OOI, was the iPad purchased directly from Apple?

        • No, that one was bought from Dick Smith.

  • +1

    Based on my recent experience with a faulty iPad, if you didn't purchase through Apple, they will try and push you back to the retailer. I was given a pamphlet on the ACL by Apple and told to go back to the original retailer if I didn't want a refurb.

    I've had similar experiences with Amazon support for a phone that broke - it was much easier to the point where I would seriously consider them over other companies.

    • -3

      My experience suggests they will honour the two year consumer warranty for faults that aren't you breaking it. Might be worth buying from Amazon just to get the Apple warranty on top of the Amazon care. Apple don't seem to care where you buy the device when it comes to the support they gave, they already know if you bought it in Australia or not when they run your serial number.

  • +4

    Depends on the Amazon customer support rep. When I had an SSD fail first guy said it was outside the 180-day return policy even though it was still under warranty (wtf). Supervisor stepped in and gave a refund no questions asked.

    Apple should have given you a remedy under ACL as an iPad should last you more than 25 months.

    • +1

      You can always get a new-to-the-job rep with any customer support team who does or says something silly. That shouldn't represent the company if it was corrected quickly.

      • Yep 100%. At least with Amazon theres always a supervisor thats more knowledgeable and can step in unlike the bs that eBay pulls saying that all reps are at the same level.

        Last time I raised my rights under ACL after the seller refused to help the eBay rep tried to refer me to their legal team…

  • Amazon suck.

    been waiting 3 weeks for a refund after they've recieved the item.

    live chat dgaf either.

    • +1

      Very strange. Almost every return was refunded on the same day it was scanned at the post office/parcel point. Otherwise, on the same day they received them for a couple of expensive items.

  • +1

    I had similar issues with a ps5 controller that was just out of warranty. The controller just stopped working randomly one day & wouldn’t pair to the ps5. I tried everything. Sony didn’t want to hear about it. 5 mins on Amazon support & they provided me a voucher to cover the cost of the controller so I could buy a brand new one.

    Tl:dr: Amazon support is amazing.

    • +1

      They do seem to be pretty solid with controller issues.

      I got drift on a PS4 controller after about 30 hours of use, but almost a year after I bought it.

      I dropped it off at the post office in the morning and actually got a replacement delivered that evening.

      • I've gotten 2 drift issues on separate White controllers within hours of use. Unfortunately the hours were spaced over a year because of baby, eb games couldn't take it back and sony didn't give a crap as it was 1 month after warranty. Other colours were fine, just 2 white ones, bought different years with the same problem. Sony support sucks

  • +1

    25 months and can still return for refund? wow! Keep us updated when they actually refund to you

    • +1

      I’m sure they will issue it an hour or two after dropping it off at the post office like they always did when I returned stuff, but I will post an update.

  • +1

    Had a very similar experience with Chromebook returned after a bit more than one year after the local Toshiba customer service declined warranty.
    Amazon has been pretty good.

  • Used to work in technology retail (JB HiFi), if apple say there's physical damage then they generally have proof to back that up with testing etc. It is likely that they found water in the indicators inside the iPad despite there being no visible physical damage.

    • +1

      No water damage. They said physical damage to a couple of pins in lightning port. Probably damaged because of it is poor quality and design. Wouldn’t happen with a USB C port I think.

      • +5

        Apple have been using lightning for years now, if it was such a bad design it would be a well know wide spread issue by now

        • -2

          But it's much easier to say it's Apple's fault. Enjoy your loose USB C ports RP.

        • +4

          Can confirm lightning ports aren't as good, I repaired a lot of devices and overall lightning had more issues than USB C. Of course that doesn't mean all USB C phone's are good, some brands have horrible reliability eg Nokia.

          25 months is pretty quick for a port to goo

        • Yeah but of course there would be exceptions to quality. Perhaps this particular port wasn’t up to standards? Why assume it is my fault when the rest of the iPad looks brand new and not assume the port slipped quality control? They can’t just assume all their products are perfect.

          • +1

            @Save 50 Cent: I didn't say it was your fault. Was just saying that lightning is not "poor quality and design".

          • @Save 50 Cent:

            They can’t just assume all their products are perfect

            That's exactly what Apple does though.
            Remember the iPhone 4? "It's not a design defect, you're holding it wrong"

  • +3

    the rotten fruit company's greed surprises you?

    • It actually did surprise me a bit.. I’ve owned many Apple products over the years and their support was top notch in the past. About 8 years ago they swapped a water damaged iphone for me for a tiny amount like $100 or $150 and swapped other devices with no charge when there was no water damage.
      Last year, they gave me a hard time with a 28-month-old airpod (one side) that stopped charging and tried very hard to find evidence of damage and the technician dropped the question of water damage about three times and saying it is out of warranty until I mentioned anyone would expect a $400 earphones to last more than 2.5 years and then he spoke to the manager and caved in eventually.
      So I started to see a trend here of ‘we are not going to be Mr. Nice Guy’ anymore.

  • +1

    Welcome to Apple - where the fun stops once your money is handed over.
    Why do people buy these outrageously overpriced and poorly supported pieces of shte?

    • +1

      They've definitely changed from what they were. Sadly it's probably a reality of capitalism. You see other manufacturers follow Apple's lead.

      Louis Rossman's channel is an interesting watch.

      I have a M1 MBA and it is an awesome product. I would consider it to be better than many Windows laptops.

      I've fixed up one or two old macbooks prior to them everything going soldered.

      If I was buying a device now, I would seriously consider a Framework laptop.

    • -1

      Because this is not the experience most of us have. What I don’t understand is why Android owners get so upset about Apple owners spending their own money? It just seems to be an obsession for some of them.

      For every person here who comes to complain about Apple products there are more complaining about the service from Android devices.

      • Fanbois going to fanboi.

        While the anti-apple brigade do seem to be worse, Apple fanbois are out there as well on Android phone posts.

        There are legitimate complaints about Apple but where it becomes problematic is bent or untruths.

        As far as service goes, Samsung has their fair share of complaints. My recent experience with a problem with an order from Samsung was not great - it was impossible to get a response. They also seem to be frequently complained about - Fair Trading August 2023 - 416 vs 103.

        I would hazard a guess that Apple has them beat in that regard.

        • Yeah. Personally I prefer Apple but I don’t belittle other people for a different choice.

          The point is Apple people don’t swarm all over Android posts whining why would anyone buy an Android device. It is almost like some of the Android people are insecure in their choice. They have to put Apple down to justify it. My view is live and let live. You pay your money and you make your choice.

  • Usually they start listening when you mention Australian Consumer Law guarantee. I've had iPhones and ipads replaced this way.

  • Are all these appreciations to Amazon Support for the products fulfilled by Amazon or for products sold through third party sellers too?

    I bought a Samsung mobile last week from Amazon which was listed as Australian Origin stock and seller is Australian, but when I received the order tracking number, it shows the item is dispatched from UAE.

    I wanted Australian seller and Aussie stock with GST and ABN invoice to put it through my payroll team for salary sacrifice. Now I am concerned they’re sending overseas stock without ABN/GST included invoice. Might have to work with Amazon Support if I have to return it.

  • amen to that
    amazon have the best buyer protection of them all.

  • I always buy from Amazon, best service and return policy.

  • Same, I returned my faulty Samsung mobile after 1 year and got full refund.

  • Once I brought a case of beer. Drank one or two cans and realised that they were expired. They were OK with me returning it and gave me a full refund. They arranged for the postage, a case of beer is not light!

  • apple sux
    why pay a premium just to continue paying a premium and everything is always blamed on the customer to make them pay premium again….

    • Pay a premium for a more premium product? It's not just Apple - pretty much any brand or product category has a similar class of product (eg. German cars).

      Anecdotally, I and others I know have had much better experience with faulty Apple products.

      Samsung were most complained about to NSW fair trading by August 2023 - Fair Trading August 2023 - 416 vs 103.

      I would hazard a guess that Apple has most android manufacturers beat in that regard.

  • I had an experience buying an Amazon kindle paperwhite that had a ghost touch fault after just over 12 months, and all they offered me was 15% off my next kindle purchase. Claimed consumer warranty didn’t apply past 12 months even though you would expect a device like that to last a lot longer. So don’t assume it’s a guarantee with amazon!!

    • Escalate and find an agent who understands ACL.

    • Almost certainly you will get a better resolution if you try again and get someone else.

  • I got the inkbird vacuum dealer in June 22,but recently it stopped vacuuming well unless we hold down the side. Checked the warranty and it was only 12 months but I tried support anyway and they gave me a refund upon return.

    Also bought the drill dinosaur set and only realised a 2 weeks later that one of the dinosaurs was missing a leg as we opened them one by one. Asked support if they could just send me the missing part as my kid loved playing with it, and they just gave me a full refund instead without returning.

  • Yeah, I've had good experience with them as well. I ordered 3 x 3 Pack PC fans during the Black Friday sales as they were $100 off per pack. First vendor was from Germany. Unfortunately I didn't receive them. Tracking them, they arrived in Aus but got lost. Went through their chat support on the app and I told them I really wanted them due to the BF sale. They said all good, we'll credit you what you paid, buy them again and pay the difference and once the product arrives, we'll refund you the difference while being so apologetic for the inconvenience. I asked if I could go through another vendor and they said as long as it is the same product, it's fine. So I chose a UK vendor. Guess what. Same thing happened. It never arrived. Arrived in Aus but then got lost. Hit Amazon support and they were happy to refund. I know I'm entitled to a refund but they make the experience so quick and easy.

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