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[sevenlayermuddle]

I’m interested to hear from anybody who has ever had an iPhone battery replaced over the counter in a high street Apple Store.  Specifically, did they do it while you waited?   Or while you went shopping? Or did they send it away for a few days?

I’m unable to (easily) get an answer from Apple as, whilst the nearest shop does list a phone number with appropriate area dialling code, it is answered by a robotic system that just fobs me off into the global support queue, no matter what question I ask.  The wait time of 10 minutes, with zero confidence that I’ll actually get through to anybody in the local shop, means I give up at that point.

I know iPhone batteries can be had more cheaply elsewhere, but the Apple advertised price is not that unreasonable, £50 for a 6S.   I can book an appointment at the local shop, the next step is unclear.    I’ll be peeved if I make a special trip into town only to be told “yes we know you booked a slot, but we can’t do it today”.

[atkinsong]

Earlier this year I had both mine and my wife's Iphone 5 battery replaced in store. Two separate appointments 6 weeks apart. In both cases it was done there and then in around 45 mins, at a cost of £45. They ran a quick diagnostic on each phone, in front of me, to glean the battery charge capability. Their own threshold is 80% of deign capacity warrants replacement. My phone was at 85% but I asked them to replace it anyway as I didn't think that Iphone 5 batteries would be available much longer. Service was excellent both times.

[g3uiss]

I can endorse the above no problem at the Genius Bar. They did have a free replacement offer but I think that’s expired.

Tony

[sevenlayermuddle]

Many thanks, these are the answers I was hoping for.

Other half’s 6S battery has always been iffy, from new.  Usually charge would last for days, but occasionally it would lose half its charge in a few minutes.   Other times it drops suddenly to zero and quickly switches off, only to instantly toggle back to 30% as soon as it is attached to charger.

We stupidly missed the chance to claim when it was in warranty, as it always behaved well whenever we thought about claiming.   But since it has recently got worse we may as well still get it fixed at own expense, if she gets another year or two out of it.

[fat jez]

Apple store in Buchanan Street have previously swapped batteries while I waited. iPads are different, that's a swap for a brown box unit as they can't swap them in store.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Thanks again. 

I’m surprised they even do iPhones in store, I’d have thought it was a fairly specialist skill.  I tried, years ago, to dismantle an early iPod Touch myself to change the panel.  I think I’m reasonably careful, with a background including electronics repair work, but the iPod surgery ended badly.

Mention of Buchanan Street makes me homesick, I’ll have trouble getting it out of my head now.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Just to round this off, we did get the 6s battery replaced at an Apple store last week. 

They needed about 40mins so we left it with them and went for lunch.  Cost £50 as expected, which seems reasonable to me for a genuine trusted battery and good service.

[Ronski]

I hate to admit it, but that's not a bad price. I do wonder though if it's cheaper than it used to be due to the recent battery scandal.

When I changed my last phones battery, it cost £18, must have taken about an hour, but that was the first time doing it on that phone and probably a lot easier than an iPhone.

[sevenlayermuddle]

I think that, in response to the adverse publicity last year, they offered £25 replacements for a while, but we missed that.

And the 6s battery has never been right from new, always had a tendency to suddenly and rapidly discharge, over just a few minutes, for no apparent reason.   ISTR they accepted there was a battery problem with that model and offered an extended warranty on battery claims for a while, we probably could have claimed, but we missed that too.

Still, we can’t blame Apple for my lack of attentiveness.  I’ve missed bigger opportunities in the past, £50 small fry by comparison to some.