Cracked the ipad screen, got a free replacement from the apple store

[emedrano]

cracked screen

Has anyone had an IPAD 2 with verizon cellular data replaced? My five year old son snuck my ipad out of the car and dropped it......two days after I bought it. Like most of you, I am extrememly distraught. After paying $600 and now two days later the plastic cover is cracked....I see apple has replaced some of yours, but is that only wifi?

 

[leelai]

Has anyone had an IPAD 2 with verizon cellular data replaced? My five year old son snuck my ipad out of the car and dropped it......two days after I bought it. Like most of you, I am extrememly distraught. After paying $600 and now two days later the plastic cover is cracked....I see apple has replaced some of yours, but is that only wifi?

It doesn't matter what type it is. Go to apple, be very honest, humble, nice, don't expect it. Some staff won't even know that they will replace it. They may even quote you so much to fix it, say you can't afford it right now. As you can see many have had theirs replaced but sometimes you just need to go through the motions before they'll surprise you and say just this one time they will replace it. Some have even had to go to another store before it was replaced, maybe their attitude had something to do with that. But you need to go. Let us know how it went. But remember, be very nice!!

 

[emedrano]

I have an appointment set for 945 am tomorrow. So I will definitely let you al lknow. I have no problem being nice. I take full responsibility. I know they are not obligated to fix it....at least not for free. I just really hope they do. We are new to the Apple world. I just got the IPAD 2 literally 2 days ago, and my hubby just got his first Iphone the iphone 4, today. and we are already hooked. I hope I have a great experience like most of you! *fingers crossed*

 

[emedrano]

Excellent News!! I went to Charleston, about an hour away and the closest Apple Store to me, and I told the greeter my problem and my appointment time. She was super nice and told me to wait in the back of the store and my tech rep would be with me in a second. I wasn't waiting long, and my son enjoyed the kids center so it was really nice, and the rep approached me, he was SUPER friendly and I told him how my son snuck my ipad from the bag after I told him to leave it alone and he would use it when we were indoors on the sofa, and dropped it on the sidewalk when we were getting out of the car. It took everything not to start bawling while I relived the story in my head lol. He was super super nice and said, well you're in luck. This store's policy is a 1 time accidental physical damage foriveness and we can replace your ipad 2 for free this one time. I thought i was going to collapse because I was so nervous. they even converted my verizon number to my new ipad 2 as well! He did tell me though that not all stores honor that policy and usually it is half the price of your ipad to have physical damage repaired. So just know that some stores do not honor that policy. He mentioned Charlotte NC and Ny, NY as two of the ones who do not. So just a heads up! I am officially an apple fan! My next purchase is the macbook air!

 

[leelai]

What wonderful news, I'm so relieved and happy for you. Thanks for the feedback!!

 

[potter2004]

Last night, I was dumb and set my iPad on the floor next to my armchair. My iPhone was sitting on the arm when I knocked it off and it dropped and shattered the ipad's glass. I couldn't really help but laugh at how silly the situation was. My iPhone just destroyed my iPad. After googling a cracked iPad screen I found this thread and was shocked that something like this happened at an Apple store. I love Apple, but in the past the retail stores never have been great for me as far as repairs go. So I made an appointment at the Stonestown location in the bay area. The guy was really nice, but gave me the "it will be $299 to get a replacement" line. I told him I couldn't really afford it right now, and he said he understood and said the offer was always good if I wanted to come back. So, first store, no free replacement. I decided I would try the another location seeing as there are three in SF... Maybe one of them could help me out. I tried the one on chestnut next, and I was again helped by a really nice girl who said she was so sorry and that all she could do was offer the replacement for $299. I left assuming this was all a lost cause, but decided I would hit up the last one in union square. What could it hurt? I felt like out of all of them the union square location would be the least likely place to do this kind of thing, seeing as they are most definitely the highest volume store in the area. After a little waiting I was brought to the counter and the guy gave me same story... $299 because they don't cover accidental damage. I thought I was screwed, but almost in the same breath he said "but we can replace it for no charge this one time only." Finally! I thanked him what seemed to be a million times and walked out with a new, un-shattered iPad 2. I am beyond happy and even after being rejected at two stores I still think they all were really great about the situation and I am truly grateful. So... If you are a person in the bay area learn from me.... Go to union square first, you will save some time.

 

[leelai]

How good is that, I am so glad you persevered with it. What a happy ending for you. Thank you for posting your experience too, that will help others so much.
PS. Don't put it on the floor again . I'm sure you won't

 

[Tati]

Is the replacemnet valid just for US residents?

I bought an ipad 2 in Miami's apple store in August then i came back to my country, Brasil. My ipad's screen has cracked about 3 days ago. If a friend of mine who is going to US goes with my ipad to a apple store can they to a replacement? In the case they do a replacement we have to leave the ipad with broken screen in the apple store?
Have we to present a recipe to do a replacement?
Sorry about the english.
Thank you!

 

[leelai]

I bought an ipad 2 in Miami's apple store in August then i came back to my country, Brasil. My ipad's screen has cracked about 3 days ago. If a friend of mine who is going to US goes with my ipad to a apple store can they to a replacement? In the case they do a replacement we have to leave the ipad with broken screen in the apple store?
Have we to present a recipe to do a replacement?
Sorry about the english.
Thank you!

Yes, the broken one is left at the store, they do a swap, so it's a good idea to do a backup if you can. You don't need a receipt, they can look it up in the store for when you purchased it. I've never heard of someone else doing it for you, but I don't see how that can affect the outcome. Your friend may have to go to more than one apple store, not every apple store does it apparently, if you've read the above posts you'll see the last person went to 3 apples and got lucky on the last one. Tell them to be very nice, humble and honest about what happened. Do not act as if it is expected, this is a courtesy, Apple doesn't have to do it at all, but as far as I know, no one has been rejected. Good luck, let us know what happens.

Your English is very good by the way.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I bought an ipad 2 in Miami's apple store in August then i came back to my country, Brasil. My ipad's screen has cracked about 3 days ago. If a friend of mine who is going to US goes with my ipad to a apple store can they to a replacement? In the case they do a replacement we have to leave the ipad with broken screen in the apple store?
Have we to present a recipe to do a replacement?
Sorry about the english.
Thank you!

I bought an iPhone 4 in Asia, dropped it and then was in the U.S., so I went to a U.S. Apple store. They voluntarily replaced it without asking for a receipt, ID or where I bought it. (The phone was registered to me, but I actually didn't even buy it, because I had an assistant in Asia order it for me online.)

I went into the U.S. Apple store and I left with a replacement with 15 minutes. Of course, maybe I just lucked out with the right store, the right sales guy. I just told him I dropped my phone and he offered to replace it. I was expecting to pay for a repair.

 

[Rdm_box]

Cracks

My iPad 2 fell off the table inphysics and has a big crack in the corner, and scratches all over. does anyone have any experience with the Exeter Apple store in the UK? Do they do replacement? Any info would be appreciated.

The iPad falling off the desk was quite ironic. We were lifting 1kg weights in physics, and I moved my ipad (with smart cover) away to stop weights from falling on it. Someone brushed past the table, and the ipad slid off. It landed on the corner and bounced a bit, but it would have been much worse without the cover. I hope I can get it replaced, as I really can't afford a replacement.

 

[s2mikey]

As great as it is to hear the happy endings that some people have had, it worries me because it appears to be the luck of the draw and Im thinking NOT everyone will get the same treatment. It would have been nice of Apple to maybe even include ONE screen replacement(for a nominal fee) in the first year or something. Maybe thats crazy but I never like when stuff like this is a "case by case" basis type of thing. The problem I see is that for $299, thats half the cost of most new ones, even more for the basic Wifi/16GB model so why would you replace the glass? Its like spending $2500 bucks to fix a car worth $3500. The numbers dont line up.

I guess Ill just try to NOT break my glass

 

[DennisW]

That is great service. I wonder if the results/service are the same if bought through a third party distributor such as Best Buy. I picked up my iPad 2 at BB the day after launch when they were not available at the Apple store and reserved a second one for my husband which we received yesterday.

Yes. They really don't care where you purchased it as long as you're the original owner and you haven't gotten a previous free replacement. It's basically a one-time deal, and a good one as Apple prices the cost of replacing the iPad screen at $300

 

[Mad_Maru]

Just to add my screen was faulty as I mentioned earlier in this thread and I was the 2nd owner they asked if I had bought it from the previous owner as apple care was due to run out. I just made out that I hadn't but that it was given by my g/f. They still replaced it for me. So appears as though they will replace it once even if you are not the original owner.


Sent from my  iPhone® using Tapatalk

 

[DennisW]

As great as it is to hear the happy endings that some people have had, it worries me because it appears to be the luck of the draw and Im thinking NOT everyone will get the same treatment. It would have been nice of Apple to maybe even include ONE screen replacement(for a nominal fee) in the first year or something. Maybe thats crazy but I never like when stuff like this is a "case by case" basis type of thing. The problem I see is that for $299, thats half the cost of most new ones, even more for the basic Wifi/16GB model so why would you replace the glass? Its like spending $2500 bucks to fix a car worth $3500. The numbers dont line up.

I guess Ill just try to NOT break my glass

Well, considering that every message I've read from people who have gone into an Apple store with a cracked screen after dropping it has gotten the same "unofffical" replacement, my (unofficial) uneducated guess is that it's a sort of a unwritten Apple policy. Or maybe it is written, somewhere that they will never admit to. (Not that Apple has ever been secretive before)

Perhaps they're realizing that the glass on the iPad2 is a bit fragile, and its easier to just play this little game than to admit to a manufacturing weakness.

Either way, it is a good PR move on Apple's part.