Iphone 4 antenna issue escalated....!

[ancient]

Hi Guys

My experience...

I got my iphone 4 and it does show the antenna issue.

I disagree with everyone who says you are not holding it right?

It's one thing when you are using it to make calls...you might be able to hold it the way they want you to ( which is ridiculous)...However when you are reading from it, the most natural position to hold it is by holding it on both sides.
People with small hands might be able to hold it just at the top portion?

Anyway I went to my local Apple store and tried 6 of their demo units...to my surprise 4 of them were fine but 2 of them showed the antenna issue...I showed the genius guys and they just scatched their heads and beards.
I think this points to a hardware issue.

They advised me to call apple on-line as I purchased from them.
I did and explained everythin to her...the polite lady told me that she would check with applecare to see if they have any solution.

She then came back and said that they told her to tell me not to hold it in that way? and if I buy a bumper case it would resolve the issue?

When I told her what I thought of that, she agred with me totally and suggested I speak with an applecare manager to escalate the issue and the tech support response.

So I got her to collect my one and send me out a replacement.
There is no way I am keeping my defective product only to be offered a refurb after the first 14 days( Once they decide it is a hardware issue!)

And I have now escalated this with the management team.

I suggest all who are also getting the issue do the same as me.

[bobright]

Wait a minute, if we get our phones replaced due to this reception issue after 14 days we get a refurb (are you sure)?

I thought refurbs werent even made until months down the line?!

[Shockster]

Well, with people getting replacements, they will have refurbs sooner rather than later.

But you will most likely get a new one if you do it within a month or so. No way they will fix the problem within that amount of time. Till then, its hit or miss with the new iphone 4 =(

[p3eps]

I got a replacement yesterday - it certainly looked new and came with the screen / back clear plastic stickers on it... although they probably all have this? I doubt given the level of sales etc, they'd have a chance to have refurbs - unless these are ones that failed their initial tested and were later repaired?

I would guess my old one will be sent back somewhere and refurbed though.
It had dreadful reception and a funny bit of plastic stuck between the front cover and the metal band - right next to the dock connector.

My new one doesn't have the plastic bit... but still has dreadful reception (without holding it!)

[mmurphmsu]

Mines strange. Sometimes it does it and sometimes it doesn't. I could be holding it one way and the bars will start to go down, then all of the sudden start to go back up. And just now I sat it down on the table and only have one bar. Guess I need to go back to my AT&T store.

[ancient]

According to them they do not class them as refurbs but they are in brown cardboard boxes ie no unit on it's own no acc's .

However on 2 occasions with previous ipod touches when I got my brown box replacement there were scratches oon the backs/front of the units.

They were good about about it and swapped them over straight away again.
But they could not explain the scratches?

So I personally do not trust the brown boxes and consider them refurbs.

The sooner people ask for refunds/exchanges within 14 days,the sooner they will fix the issue.

The only thing they will respond to is financial loss.

[mmurphmsu]

So you have to request an exchange within 14 days? What if you wait after 14 days, will then do anything for you then?

[bobright]

So to the people that returned them, you were given aphone without a box and plastic? So you now no longer have your original box?

Thats terrible.

[ancient]

No you keep the original box and acc's but just hand over the faulty iphone...this happens after 14 days.

Before 14 days you are entitles to refund or exchange for a brand new boxed one.

[Windmeel]

Wait a minute, if we get our phones replaced due to this reception issue after 14 days we get a refurb (are you sure)?

I thought refurbs werent even made until months down the line?!

I used to work at an Apple warehouse in Elk Grove, CA during the 3G launch. They were packaging refurbished iPhone 3Gs and they were brand new at the time. At least that's what the supervisor said.

[XFaega]

I got a replacement yesterday - it certainly looked new and came with the screen / back clear plastic stickers on it... although they probably all have this? I doubt given the level of sales etc, they'd have a chance to have refurbs - unless these are ones that failed their initial tested and were later repaired?

I would guess my old one will be sent back somewhere and refurbed though.
It had dreadful reception and a funny bit of plastic stuck between the front cover and the metal band - right next to the dock connector.

My new one doesn't have the plastic bit... but still has dreadful reception (without holding it!)

If your serial number starts with a 5 you have a refurb.

[bobright]

No you keep the original box and acc's but just hand over the faulty iphone...this happens after 14 days.

Before 14 days you are entitles to refund or exchange for a brand new boxed one.

Does it state this anywhere (link)? I want to be prepared as I most likely will give it a shot at getting mine replaced. Reception is really bad Ive already had about 5 dropped calls in only a few days.

If your serial number starts with a 5 you have a refurb.

there are refurbished iPhone 4s already?

[piston597]

Just called Apple and set up an appointment with an Apple Genius. They asked me what is the reason for me to set up an appointment, I said the reception issue, she said to hold the phone and wait for a fix, but I didn't want a refurb one so I told her to set it up because I got another problem, the proximity sensor. So she did, hopefully tomorrow I'll walk out of the Apple store with a working iPhone 4.

[p3eps]

If your serial number starts with a 5 you have a refurb.

The serial number of my new one starts with 86...
They just swap over the phone, and the guy gave me a new sticker to stick on my box at home - so that my serial matches. The sticker had the serial and IMEI number on it.

When they asked if I wanted to swap it for a new one, I said I thought they'd be sold out. The guy said that they were, but they'd been given an allowance for replacements too.

[mmurphmsu]

I purchased an iPhone 4 Saturday and started noticing problems with my reception yesterday at work. I don’t even have to hold my phone in a funny way to get it to go from 5 bars to 1. I called AT&T yesterday to see what I could do and the only solution they gave me right now was for them to send out an AT&T wireless engineer to check the signal strength around where I work. I was told that I would get a call back in 3 to 4 days. I plan on calling them Monday if I don’t here back or just may go to an AT&T store and exchange mine for a new one. I am kind of upset cause I didn’t have this problem with my 3G.

[bobright]

Well I got a Genius Appt scheduled at 11:15AM for this reception issue, wish me luck guys!!

I am going to demand a new one for sure in the box, a refurb or just replacement with me having to keep my old box would be unacceptable.

[Craig02]

I am really surprised that they carrier extra stock as replacements considering the shortages

[piston597]

Did you get the replacement?

[bobright]

Did you get the replacement?

NO

I am heated right now, my local Apple had no replacements and on top of that he ran some "tests" and said he was connected on a call for 10 minutes and it never dropped the call so he sees no problem. So much for that im calling apples 1-800 number to raise hell!!

[blainesill]

I called my local Apple store this morning asking if it would be worth me bringing in my phones to be replaced because of the reception issue. I was told that there is no reception issue and that it's a "fact of life blah blah blah". He said I could schedule an appointment anyway. I didn't bother. If there's no fix (or atleast some kind of acknowledgement of a fix) by the end of the week, I'm returning the phones.