Replace iPhone 4

[kennyleow]

Guys,

If your iPhone reboot by itself, or got shutter problem or has problem taking photos, just head down to your telco to get it replace.

I just went to Singtel to replace my ip4 with a brand new one.

[seiko.citizen]

are you sure is brand new? could be a refurb.

im im not wrong, refurb serial numbers start with a number followed by K. eg. 5K/8K...

until today, i still dont like refurb units. it has a negative feeling *imo*

[kennyleow]

Nope. It's brand new. no K in the serial no.

[deslene]

Well, true it might be refurb set. But if the ones we are using already hv problems, might as well get it changed so that we can still use it without any "headaches".... Whats the point of owning a so-called brand new set but with problems?

[Oceanklassik]

When the 'new' replacement phone was taken out, did it come with the actual packaging as if it was bought brand new? Or it came in a plastic container of sort?

[seiko.citizen]

interesting that you got a brand new one! good job!! apple offered me a refurb when my home button was misaligned.

[kennyleow]

it comes out brand new with a coffin packaging rather than the one that is used in retail. According to them, for replacement, is this kind of packaging. Anyway, the phone that I got is definitely brand new. Or refurb until it looks brand new. So I'm not sure if it is brand new or refurb.

[estrangable]

its definitely a refurnished set. Did a 1 for 1 exchange for iphone 3g a couple of years ago.

I suggest to do a swap only towards the end of the warranty...so at least u can get a brand new "furnished" set and then sell it again to get iphone 5.

[Oceanklassik]

That's what I have also experienced very recently. The moment I saw the "coffin packaging" and asked if she (the staff) was replacing my weeks-old iPhone with a BRAND NEW one, she replied 'yes' unconvincingly. When I probed further as to why a replacement set has to be in a different packaging, she shrugged her shoulders and quickly said that it has been in this manner all this while. I made further checks and found out that ... (to be continued soon)

[kennyleow]

wow Lao. got akang datang.

[triton]

brand new to me is that they give you one with original iphone box. not any otherwise.

if it does not come with original box, then it is likely it is a refurnished set.

they do 1-to-1 exchange. if set 1 has home button issue, they just replace the home button and then replace exterior housing or parts of the exterior housing that has been damaged. then if another set has a set with power button, they just take this refurbished set and do 1-to-1 exchange.

the return set, they fix the power button and replace exterior where necessary and prepares it for another 1-to-1 exchange.

i dont like such arrangement, why? in an event when i want to sell it, the phone serial and box serial will be mismatched. then it makes it harder to sell it @ a higher price unless to dealers who just want phone and charger.

recently i had an issue with my HTC Desire HD screen. it was refusing any input. as such i brought it back for a part replacement. waited for 1 day and i got back the same set.

[pegasi]

The mobile phones stocked at the service centres are generally know as "swap units" or exchange units". These swap units are supplied in different packaging (from the commercial kit) and usually come without the accessories (i.e. ear piece, charger etc), in order to achieve cost and lead time efficiency.

Most of the faulty returned units are sent back to either the factories or repair centres where the phones will be repaired and tested. The repaired phones may then be put back in the production line and become part of a commercial kit or a swap unit, depending on the setup of the manufacturer. In any case the quality of the repaired phones should be the same as a freshly produced phone so they should be no cause for concern - but I cannot guarantee that

So a swap unit could be a brand new phone or a repaired/refurbished phone (that is supposed to be as good as brand new not only function wise but also cosmestics wise).

[pegasi]

By the way my wife has had to swap her new iphone 4 twice at Starhub service centre due to camera and sw issue.

From what I know Apple doesn't repair their phones locally even for minor defects, unlike most other brands.

[icy.mint]

Just to share my personally experience on the topic with M1...

So far I have had 2 replacements. My first iPhone 4 went in for a replacement because the HOME button was not functioning properly. They put me on reservation coz out-of-stock.

Finally gotten my replacement, but.... I was back to M1 again after 1 couple of weeks. This time it was due to battery issues.

The one (2nd replacement) that I'm currently holding also seems to have minor issues here & there that I have never encountered before with my first (original) iPhone e.g. dropped calls.

Didn't bother to go back for the 3rd time....

The conclusion: only the original retail set that you purchase is brand new, those replacement sets are mostly, if not all, refurbished. They are only as good as new 'cosmetically'.

[pegasi]

Just to share my personally experience on the topic with M1...

So far I have had 2 replacements. My first iPhone 4 went in for a replacement because the HOME button was not functioning properly. They put me on reservation coz out-of-stock.

Finally gotten my replacement, but.... I was back to M1 again after 1 couple of weeks. This time it was due to battery issues.

The one (2nd replacement) that I'm currently holding also seems to have minor issues here & there that I have never encountered before with my first (original) iPhone e.g. dropped calls.

Didn't bother to go back for the 3rd time....

The conclusion: only the original retail set that you purchase is brand new, those replacement sets are mostly, if not all, refurbished. They are only as good as new 'cosmetically'.

Your experience is not enough to conclude that the replacement are mostly refurbished set. It is not uncommon for the replacement units, even brand new, to have similar problems or some other quality issue given that there are likely to be produced from the same factory and of the same production batch. Typically, a problem related to the software (sometimes also hardware) of the phones takes weeks to rectify and andother few weeks to implement in the production/service centres. In some cases, the sw fixes are made avaialble for the consumers to download from the internet.

That means if the problem you had with the iphone 4 (or any other brand for that matter) is a relatively new problem, swapping it with a new phone may not solve the problem. The thing is, even if the service centre had explained in this way to the consumers, the consumers would still insist to exchange their faulty phone for a new phone (that might still have problem).

Sometimes it might help by chatting with the customer service guy to understand the problem in such a situation. And if it is clear that swapping the phone most likely will not fix the problem, get an agreement with them to come back another day when the fix has been implemented.