My daughter cracked the screen on my iPhone 13 Pro, so I scheduled a repair through Apple at an authorized Best Buy service location. Since I pay monthly for AppleCare+, Apple's website indicated that the screen repair should cost $29.
When I arrived, the technician ran a diagnostic and said the battery also needed replacement. I haven't noticed any battery problems, but I checked AppleCare+ coverage and believed the battery replacement should be free. The technician initially quoted me $99 for the entire repair and said Apple requires them to fix all known issues at the same time, meaning I couldn't decline the battery replacement.
I called Apple Support while I was there, and the representative suggested that the charge didn't sound correct. During the call, the technician then said he had found a "workaround" that would allow both repairs to be completed for $29. Is this how AppleCare+ repairs are supposed to work, or was the shop handling the claim incorrectly?
2 Answers
This sounds more like a misunderstanding or an incorrect repair entry than a requirement that you pay $99. The shop may have bundled the repairs under the wrong claim type, which could explain the higher quote. The fact that they later found a way to process both repairs for the expected $29 suggests the original pricing or explanation was wrong.
The cracked display and the battery issue should be treated as separate things. The screen repair should be processed as an AppleCare+ accidental-damage claim with the $29 service fee. If the battery qualifies for Apple’s warranty or AppleCare coverage, that replacement should generally be free rather than added to the accidental-damage charge.
That makes sense. The battery had never caused any problems before the appointment, and it wasn’t related to the cracked screen.