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How to get your bent iPad replaced for free
When you shell out your hard-earned money on a new gadget, the last thing you want is to find out that you’ve wound up with a defective one.
Unfortunately, that actually happened to some unhappy Apple customers recently with certain iPads. After buying their shiny new tablet, they discovered that it was bent.
To make matters worse, some of the bent iPads were still within spec. So Apple wouldn’t replace them. That’s why it’s critical to follow this one important guideline if you want to get a free replacement.
Can a bent iPad really be ‘in spec?’
Surprisingly, the answer is yes. According to Apple, certain iPad Pro cellular models are manufactured using a process called co-molding. Long story short, it’s a high-temperature process that can impact the flatness of the device.
But the finished product must pass tight specifications for flatness – if it doesn’t, Apple won’t ship the tablet. It allows for no more than 400 microns of deviation across the length of any side, which is 0.4 millimeters, less than the thickness of four sheets of paper.
Apple says, “The new straight edges and the presence of the antenna splits may make subtle deviations in flatness more visible only from certain viewing angles that are imperceptible during normal use. These small variances do not affect the strength of the enclosure or the function of the product and will not change over time through normal use.”
That may be true, but it wouldn’t make you feel better about your new iPad Pro if it appeared to be bent, would it? Probably not.
So here’s a legit way to get a replacement. If you purchase a product directly from Apple, it offers a 14-day return policy. Make sure to inspect your new gadget very thoroughly right when you get it home. If it appears to be bent, return it and get a refund. Then you can get a new one that hopefully doesn’t have a bend to it.
Crazy Apple story posted on social media
This hard-to-believe story was recently posted on the social media site, Reddit.
Late last year, someone who purchased an iPad Pro that appeared to be bent took it to his local Apple Store. He explained the problem to the Apple employee, who went on to say the customer could expect one of two outcomes.
If the iPad ended up being out of spec, Apple would replace it. If not, the company wouldn’t do anything.
Now here’s the crazy part. The employee supposedly hinted to the customer that if there was anything else wrong with the iPad, they would replace it. For example, if it had connectivity problems, they would have to order a replacement.
The employee then asked, now what’s wrong with your iPad? The customer replied, the Wi-Fi, I guess.
Now we don’t recommend making up stories to get a free replacement device. It’s much better to go the legit route and return it within the allowed 14-day period. But it’s an interesting anecdote that we thought we’d pass on.
Tags: Apple, home, social media, Wi-Fi
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