I recently took my iPhone 12 to the Apple Store in Glendale, AZ for a battery replacement since it was below 80%. After running a diagnostic, the employee said everything was fine except the battery, so I left my phone for the repair. However, when I returned, I was told they couldn't replace the battery due to an issue with my cellular modem that they discovered. I pointed out that the cellular connection worked perfectly fine before I brought it in—when they turned my phone back on, it connected to service right away! Despite this, they still refused to proceed with the battery replacement, which went from $89 to a hefty $350 for the modem fix first. It doesn't feel right that they wouldn't just do the battery replacement. Are they trying to upsell me something I don't need? How can they justify this when my phone's cellular service was working?
2 Answers
You might want to consider taking it to a third-party repair shop for the battery replacement. They can handle it pretty well, and the battery usually lasts a few years, which is likely all you'll need before upgrading your phone anyway.
Just because it was working for you doesn't mean it passed their inspection. They aren’t being dishonest, but that doesn’t explain why they couldn’t just replace the battery. I’d have been willing to sign a waiver for that too, honestly.
Exactly! If they were worried about it failing down the line, they could at least give customers the option to sign off on repairs they want to proceed with.
Any recommendations on good third-party stores? I was thinking about trying this myself with a YouTube guide since I've got an iFixit toolkit.