How to deal with iPhone problems

September 24, 2010

A Faulty iPhone -get your money back.

If you own an iPhone and do not think it is fit for purpose the Sale of Goods Act 1979 indicates that it is the seller of the goods who is liable and in breach of contract. The sellor in the case of iPhone is the mobile phone provider that sold you the handset. However, you must act quickly -rejecting the phone within ‘a reasonable time’ means the sooner you return your faulty phone the more likely you will get a full refund. Apple suggests iPhone owners must claim within 30 days if they want their money back. Once you have informed your seller that you wish to return the phone you must stop using it as any further use will weaken, or invalidate, your decision to return it. If you did not buy your handset direct from Apple you must take up the issue with the seller – your mobile phone provider. Your rights are not affected if you have disposed of all the packaging that came with your iPhone.

Having problems with your iPhone 4?

Poor Reception

Earlier this Summer many new iPhone 4 users were experiencing reception problems. Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, responded quickly to the complaints of poor reception. Steve Jobs offered all iPhone 4 owners a free bumper case to remedy the signal issues, or customers could have their money back. The signal antenna problem on Apple iPhone 4 was researched by PA Consulting Group who confirmed that when users covered the bottom left-hand corner of the device with their hand it blocked the antenna and produced an unreliable signal. PA found that a number of other handsets suffered this ‘death grip’ problem too e.g. Blackberry Bold 9700 and the HTC HD2.

The bumper case insulates the iPhone’s aerials from contact with the human skin -when your mobile phone is held in the death grip  mobile reception can drop by as much as 40%. The bumpers were previously sold by Apple for £25 online – they are now free online at apple store. If they are out of stock you can apply for a voucher, and if you have paid for your Apple bumper you are eligible for a refund. This offer is only valid until September 30th 2010.

Radio Performance

The iPhone 4’s radio performance was also found to be at the lower end of normal. This means that it will tend to drop calls earlier than other mobile phones and could suffer more in areas of weak signal. The free bumper case should help to combat this problem too.

Proximity Sensor

Growing complaints abound regarding the iPhone’s 4 less sensitive proximity sensor. Users have complained that they have unintentionally switched on Apple’s FaceTime video-conferencing and accidental call making as if the iPhone 4 has a mind of its own. Apparently the proximity sensor can be affected by the touch of our ear, or cheek, making them responsible for dialling numbers usually performed by our fingers! More research has confirmed that while the iPhone 3GS deactivated on-screen buttons when users were 55mm from its surface, the iPhone 4 did this at 40mm – a 30% difference. The iPhone 4 also takes half a second longer than the 3GS model to deactivate the screen when it reached its activation range. Apple is yet to respond to these sensor findings.

Some users have suggested that proximity sensor problems are easily fixed ‘in house‘ by resetting your iPhone 4 network settings. Let us know your feelings on this issue.

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