I’ve had my iphone just two months and the left hand side of the iphone has stopped working, and is completely unresponsive to touch. So on the touch screen keyboard letters Q, W, A, numbers 1, 2 and character ‘-’ are unselectable. I have restored to the original setting twice but this hasn’t fixed the issue. The firmware is up to date and the screen has been cleaned to eliminate grease and dirty as being a factor of the malfunction. After a search on Google a few forum threads didn’t give me a clear indication as to the problems origin, whether it could be a hardware or software related.
02 or Apple’s problem?
Do I take my faulty iphone to either an Apple store or my local 02 store? I received a mixed response when asking friends so I decided to see if I could gain any further info from the Apple website. I found this section on the Apple site that proved little help. A few help screens appeared while browsing through the section but no real solution was found. I found their Online Service Assistant help hard to fathom so I logged off and gave up. With experience of resellers I presumed that going to 02 would be a waste of time as I’m sure the words “sorry sir, you need to enquire with Apple as it’s a hardware issue, not a network or sim issue” would be spoken.
Now Apple stores aren’t aplenty in northern England, the closest store to where I live is Sheffield at the MeadowHall shopping centre, some 55 miles away! Not exactly a hop skip and a jump away, but I decided to make the trip under the hope the phone could be fixed there and then, saving me the hassle of being phoneless for a few days.
Book an appointment at the Genius Bar before you go!
This is something I didn’t do! I arrived at around 11am and just managed to get a slot for 3pm even though the store was quite. Come 3pm when I returned the some store was heaving! Any later than 11am and I would have had a wasted trip. Booking an appointment online is quick and easy…
Visit the Genius Bar Apple page
Select the store you wish to visit then click ‘Reserve’.
Select user type
I picked Guest, I’d suggest the same.
Fill in details
A simple process…
Select Genius Bar
First big technical support button
Select iphone
Choose an available date/time
This will save you alot of time…
Once complete, you should get an email notification. Once instore you’ll notice your name will be displayed on screens above the bar around the time of your appointment.
A quick diagnosis
The Apple store is so busy, the Apple Geniuses only have a short amount of time to make a judgement call on the fault. Typically if they suspect it’s a software issue, either iphone related or network/sim related they’ll attempt to resolve the issue. If they suspect it’s a hardware issue, like they did with my iphone then you’re in with a great chance of being given a brand new iphone as long as it’s in warranty. This happened to me, I described the fault, demonstrated the issue and with 5 minutes I had a new iphone. The old iphone was wiped in front of me of all it’s data (they ask me if I’d backed it up first, which I had) and replaced with a new iphone. Viola! Sorted!
In summary
If your iphone encounters issues, do the following:
- Turn it off and on again
- Let the battery run down below 20% then recharge
- Backup data immediately by syncing with your Mac itunes
- Try a full restore through itunes (takes up to 20mins)
- Remove then insert the sim, cleaning any obvious dirt and dust particles
- Check battery connection for any dirt or damage
- Recoil whether it has encountered direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, water contact, impact damage etc etc
If you’re still encountering issues I would strongly suggest booking in an appointment with an Apple Genius at an Apple store as they could resolve the issue the same day. If you have obvious hardware issues like me you’re in with a chance of getting a new iphone all together.
Remember, look after it, get a protective case and consider an AppleCare extended warranty once the standard 12 month warranty expires.
September 6th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I’ve heard rumours that there’s an Apple store opening in Leeds. Conflicting opinions where it might open. Best info I can find is below.
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/db/2008/01/07/city-centre-to-host-new-store/