My iPhone 14 stopped holding a charge, so I scheduled a battery replacement. The night before the appointment, I noticed the phone had a fruity, acetone-like smell. At the store, employees showed me that the battery was swollen and said they needed to order a replacement battery and additional parts. They also told me it was safe to take home and connected it to a charger to keep it on long enough to transfer my data.
A couple of days later, the phone barely stayed powered on. The battery was even more swollen and still smelled strongly, but the store again charged it briefly, told me it was safe to take home, and did not give me instructions about avoiding charging it or storing it outside. I returned a second time because I was uncomfortable keeping it in my house, but was still told it was fine.
That night, my family could smell the fumes, so we contacted emergency services. Firefighters and HAZMAT personnel told us to keep away from the phone, placed it in a fire-safe container, and recommended taking it to an electronics recycling facility. The company later told me to bring the phone back to the store in that container so they could repair it.
What is the safest next step, and should I escalate this formally? I'm upset that I was repeatedly sent home with a swollen battery that was producing fumes.
3 Answers
The additional parts may explain why the repair could not be completed immediately, but that does not answer the safety issue. A replacement part being unavailable is separate from whether the phone should have been charged or taken home. I would not bring the container into a store unless the fire department, the recycling facility, or the company’s safety team confirms that is an appropriate handoff procedure.
Document everything while it’s fresh: dates and times of each visit, what employees told you, receipts, repair records, photos of the swelling, and the fire department or HAZMAT incident information. Ask for the matter to be reviewed by the store manager and corporate customer support. Keep the complaint factual and focus on the repeated charging and lack of safety instructions.
A swollen lithium-ion battery should be treated cautiously, and the chemical smell makes this more serious than ordinary battery swelling. Don’t charge it, turn it on, open it, or transport it yourself unless emergency personnel or the recycling facility specifically tells you how. Follow the fire department’s instructions and use the designated hazardous-electronics disposal route.
That’s what confused me—the phone was visibly swollen and smelled every time I brought it in, but nobody told me not to charge it or keep it away from the house. It’s now secured in the container provided by emergency personnel.
The store said the swelling meant they needed more than just a battery, which is why parts had to be ordered. Apple support later told me to bring the secured phone back, but I’m not comfortable doing that without clearer safety guidance.