iPhone 4 Water Damage

[Chavista]

Hypothetically, Lets say some ones wife drops her iPhone 4 in the toilet and it stops working can this woman husband take it back to the Apple store and get it replaced? Hypothetically of course.

 

[Garz]

Hypothetically, Lets say some ones wife drops her iPhone 4 in the toilet and it stops working can this woman husband take it back to the Apple store and get it replaced? Hypothetically of course.

no Apple doesnt cover water damage. Thats not there fault. Apple has water sensor stickers inside the charging port and the headphone jack that lets them know of any water damage. You would need to have purchased insurance through SquareTrade or Asurion during your first 30 days of having the iPhone and pay the deductible

 

[Chavista]

would they offer you a discount on a refurbished phone

 

[Chavista]

Found some simi-good news on apples website

Out-of-Warranty Service

If you own an iPhone that is ineligible for warranty service but is eligible for Out-of-Warranty (OOW) Service, Apple will service your iPhone for the Out-of-Warranty Service fee listed below.

_____________________________________________________________________
iPhone model Out-of-Warranty Service
iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS,
iPhone 3G, Original iPhone $199
_____________________________________________________________________

For example, an iPhone that has failed due to damage or liquid damage is eligible for Out-of-Warranty service. However, certain damage is ineligible for OOW service, including catastrophic damage, such as the device separating into multiple pieces, and inoperability caused by unauthorized modifications.

 

[swooshme]

I've had to swap out a phone for one of my users after they dropped it in the water. It was real simple, just walked into the apple store, paid $199 and walked out with a replacement. doesn't matter if its 8, 16, or 32 gb. The price is $199.

 

[yanks19]

i have one of the original iphones i now use as an ipod that somehow found it's way into the washing machine....and also went through the dryer. you would think this would have destroyed the device and i would be out an 'ipod' but that was not the case. after letting it sit for a couple of weeks, i tried plugging it in again just for the hell of it. to my surprise, it powered up and i have been using it without issue since. this was about 6 months or so ago and it's still working.

now, not saying you should just hold onto a water damaged phone hoping it comes back to life but it just makes me wonder why a little bit of water would apparently void the warranty on the device? also wonder how sensitive these moisture sensors are inside the device and what would it take to trip one?

 

[swooshme]

"why a little bit of water would apparently void the warranty on the device?"

I think once a device becomes completely submerged in a liquid (ie toilet, washing machine, etc) it's no longer considered a little bit of water.

 

[Ipheuria]

Apple is one of the great companies that are sometimes willing to accept a bit of a loss on an item to keep the customer happy because in the long run it means that customer will keep coming back. Now there are a few things you can try before you take it back to the Genius Bar put it in a bowl and cover it with rice for 2 or 3 days. The rice will soak up the moisture in the phone and might bring it back to life. If you have house insurance you can also make a claim on the phone but keep in mind that the insurance might go up so it's questionable if it will be worth it. The last thing is just to go to the Genius Bar and tell them what happened, be truthful don't make up any lies to try and get a new phone. If you have a phone make sure it's visible so they see that you're a repeat customer and don't ask right away if they offer a discount on a replacement phone. You might just be surprised and the Genius might say let me just check with my manager what we can do for you. It's luck of the draw and in the end you were willing to pay the replacement cost anyway. This time you need to get an aquapak case GL

 

[Garz]

"why a little bit of water would apparently void the warranty on the device?"

I think once a device becomes completely submerged in a liquid (ie toilet, washing machine, etc) it's no longer considered a little bit of water.

I have a friend who had a 3GS that the water sensor stickers in charging and headphone port were set off. They were set off due to her leaving her phone in the bathroom with a lot of steam from the shower. Well over time, the stickers turned red. She had a seperate problem with the iPhone and went to the genius bar. She said she swore she never dropped the phone in water and spilled anything on it. The Genius tech took the 3GS to the back to open it up and verified no water sensor stickers inside the phone were set off so he gave her a warranty repleacement with no problems. So yeah I agree it has to become submerged in water.

 

[yanks19]

i realize this but as said, mine went through a full wash and dry cycle... just a tad more extreme than dropping it in the toilet. and exponentially worse than spilling a glass of water on it, etc.... not saying i would have expected warranty coverage even if i was eligible and not even saying the toilet incident should be covered but since the device can obviously recover from an extreme case, it can't be all bad. so again, why so strict on just a little water and what is the threshold of the sensor?

"sorry, can't talk now. it's raining outside. don't want to void my warranty!"

 

[Garz]

i realize this but as said, mine went through a full wash and dry cycle... just a tad more extreme than dropping it in the toilet. and exponentially worse than spilling a glass of water on it, etc.... not saying i would have expected warranty coverage even if i was eligible and not even saying the toilet incident should be covered but since the device can obviously recover from an extreme case, it can't be all bad. so again, why so strict on just a little water and what is the threshold of the sensor?

"sorry, can't talk now. it's raining outside. don't want to void my warranty!"

read my above post. I already clarified your question

 

[Chavista]

Thanks

Apple is one of the great companies that are sometimes willing to accept a bit of a loss on an item to keep the customer happy because in the long run it means that customer will keep coming back. Now there are a few things you can try before you take it back to the Genius Bar put it in a bowl and cover it with rice for 2 or 3 days. The rice will soak up the moisture in the phone and might bring it back to life. If you have house insurance you can also make a claim on the phone but keep in mind that the insurance might go up so it's questionable if it will be worth it. The last thing is just to go to the Genius Bar and tell them what happened, be truthful don't make up any lies to try and get a new phone. If you have a phone make sure it's visible so they see that you're a repeat customer and don't ask right away if they offer a discount on a replacement phone. You might just be surprised and the Genius might say let me just check with my manager what we can do for you. It's luck of the draw and in the end you were willing to pay the replacement cost anyway. This time you need to get an aquapak case GL

Thanks your input, am going to go to the Apple Store this weekend and see what happens

 

[sparkzilla]

Advice: do not pee on your iPhone

 

[Chavista]

Update to wet iphone

UPDATE:
I love to give closure to my posts, so here goes. I made a genius appointment and went to an apple store over the weekend, I was ready and willing to pay my $199 to get a new phone (man that place was packed) So I got there, I told the guy, My wife's iphone got wet and it stopped working, the rep . . . or "the genius" told asked me If i had backed it up because the only way to fix my problem would be to replace the phone, I said yea I backed it up, he said let him look in the computer and see what he can do for me, he went over there, looked up my account, then he just went in this drawer got a new iPhone hooked it up for me, then he came over with the receipt and the phone and said "Here's the thing Normally I would have to charge you $199 but because you were honest with me and told me what happened, am going to replace it at no charge" At that moment I didnt know what to do, I was so great full I just burst out thanking him, shaking his hand, he must have thought I was such a tool.
So i guess to moral of this story is, you never know whats gona happen until you walk in there and talk to someone . . . . . . . . . . Or even better yet, DONT GET YOUR IPHONE WET, IT DONT LIKE WATER Am good now.

 

[swooshme]

Awesome. Gotta love the apple store.

 

[crazeeafguy#IM]

Glad to hear.... hope I never have to use this though lol

 

[quicksilver53]

Very good ending Chavista.

 

[Garz]

Honesty can come a long way Im sure they are just use to be lying to them and playing dumb.

 

[cristalD]

well I don't think that they will cover water damage for this you you have to get an insurance plan for your phone they will cover water damage.

 

[JohnIl]

Water Damage Prevention

What a resourceful forum! I?ve also come across these iLoc Cases that help prevent water and sand damage. Their great for around the pool beach and for things like camping. I got a batch of five for my friends and family for just a couple bucks. Try it out at ilocstore.com