‘Very Small Number’ ⇥ mjtsai.com
Something I noticed in the mentions about my piece on Apple’s support gap are reports from lots of people claiming that their local retail outlets don’t have enough iPhone 6S batteries for the repair program.
Friend in London got an appointment to get her battery replaced. Went in only to be told they’re out of stock.
[Just] noticed that recently (trying to set up 6S battery repair; & yes, out of stock on battery). Totally infuriating
3 day wait, then told no batteries for a week – ring helpline instead. Also no communication between phone & store support. Odd
I got an appt for the 6S battery replacement, got to the store and they were out of batteries and have to go back this week
Call center sets up battery repair appointment at store but store won’t reserve replacement battery kits for appointments
When I talked with Apple about what to do, I had two options. I could do a mail-in repair, which would mean not having a phone or camera for a week or so. Or I could wait 2+ weeks until one of the local Apple Stores might be accepting appointments to replace the battery. (There is apparently a shortage of replacement batteries.)
The problem here seems twofold. First, and perhaps most obvious, is the poor communication between AppleCare and retail stores. Second is that the “very small number” of iPhones affected might be a greater number than expected.