I purchased an iphone xr bearing s/n [protected] on 24th april 2019. This has been a dream phone for a mediocre person like me and i always used it with utmost care. The device was working absolutely fine till feb 2020. Post that, i started getting network errors which in general were fixed with a simple restart of the phone. The frequency of issues increased and it was becoming increasingly difficult to use the phone without interruptions. As i am not a very tech savvy person, maximum trouble shooting i could perform was restart and a couple of instances hard reset. Usually, my phone was temporarily in working condition post this. Lot of google articles suggested an update through itunes but i could do the same during lockdown as my organisation has disable usb ports of my laptop. Finally, i decided to visit apple center in the second half of march (Considering my phone was under warranty) but couldn't do the same due to lockdown. Meanwhile, i also tried reaching the apple centre in bhopal city (My nearest town incidentally where my office is also located) on multiple instances but didn't get any response. Also, all this while, i was afraid to physically visit the apple centre as it was risky. During this time, the frequency of network issues on my mobile device continued to increase.
Finally, during early july as lockdown eased out significantly, i visited a mobile reseller close to my home and was suggested to connect with apple centre to get this issue resolved. On 19th july, i spoke to multiple individuals from apple centre who explained to me as this being a software issue. One of the representatives helped me to upgrade/format my phone the same afternoon post which the phone started working fine. The phone worked fine for a few hours after the upgrade. Post 3-4 hours, the problem again started. Post this, i again connected with the customer support team which again helped me to format the phone. However, post this, the device was not getting activated. I was told that the software needs to be updated and i need to visit the centre. Today i. E. 20th july, when i visited the apple centre within 15 seconds of diagnosis i have been informed that this is a hardware issue. Per the explanation provided, the imei number of the phone has been erased and the phone needs to be replaced. This is surprising and shocking - not sure how this happens with such a branded company's device. Considering my date of purchase being 24th april 2019, i have been told that i need to pay approximately rs 40, 000 for the replacement of the phone. I fail to understand my fault in this overall situation and would urge that the software issue (Or repair) be fixed as part of the company warranty which was active when the problem started. The delay in visit to apple centre was purely due to factors outside my control and would expect apple to be considerate for the same. Appreciate a quick response from you side on the same.
