Recently my iPhone XR stopped working after only a few months of usage. I thought it shouldn't be much of a problem since the device still had warranty. But I was very wrong... dealing with Apple Support (Germany) was one of the most frustrating customer support experiences I've ever had.
My local Apple Store sent the phone to the repair facility 3 times but it always came back with the comment "Couldn't replicate issue" although the issue was clearly documented and reproducible by me and the Apple support staff.
After a lot of phone calls, email back and forth, the manager of my local Apple Store said there's nothing they can do about it, the only option that I have left is to trade-in the defective device to get a gift card and then use it to buy a new iPhone 11. Since I need a iPhone for my job (software-testing), that's what I did. I was tired to fight for my right to get a replacement device or a repair.
It's completely ridiculous. Apple's "warranty" is basically useless. But somehow they can get away with it.
FYI, in Germany you can retroactively undo your purchase if you have:
1. Given them sufficient time to honor the warranty
2. Informed them about it in writing
3. Have a significant issue
So you can just undo your purchase and get a full refund. And then, if you want to give them a 2nd try, you could use that money to purchase a new identical phone.
Did you try going via your consumer rights instead of their warranty?
Completely anecdotal I know, but I had a Apple Pencil fail on me outside of warranty. On the phone they refused to fix or replace it. Once I mentioned my consumer rights (which cover 6 years in Ireland https://www.apple.com/ie/legal/statutory-warranty/ - I'm sure it's similar in Germany) they put me through to a separate phone line and sent me out a new pencil.
In Germany, it's 2 years of statutory warranty (Gewährleistung), but there's a shift in the burden of proof (Beweislastumkehr) after 6 months, so if the retailer insists, it's up to you to prove that a defect was actually present when you bought the item.
We talk a lot about the throwaway society and about planned obsolence, but six years of statutory warranty could actually change something.
Most of the UK also has similar statutory protections (6 years in England and Wales; 5 in Scotland), but after six months you have to prove the defect was present at the time of purchase too...
I wonder if you can dispute the initial payment with your bank or file a case in small claims court. This should be a straightforward case given that they sold you a defective product with a problem that both you and the support staff reproduced and documented and are not willing to honor the warranty.
My experience is completely different. I had an iPad Pro with 'ghost touch' problems, a bit difficult to replicate because sometimes it wouldn't show any issue for hours, and sometimes it would have the issue constantly. It was outside the standard warranty but inside the 2 year warranty you get by EU law.
I phoned AppleCare, they made me jump to all the standard hoops (factory reset, etc) to ensure it's not a software issue. Problem persisted so they scheduled a pick-up. Next day, UPS picked up the iPad, it arrived at the service center the day after and the status went to diagnosed and replacement shipped within the hour. Had the replacement iPad in my hands the next day.
That's really weird. I'm based in the UK and on two occasions I've had an iPad replaced outside of warranty for free and without a fight; both times they said it was because it issue was covered under EU law. I've also had an iPhone replaced within warranty with no trouble.
All three times they've just confirmed the issue in store, entered the device into their system, then gone into the back to get a replacement device.
Purely anecdotal I know, but it's odd how much it seems to differ from country to country.
My local Apple Store sent the phone to the repair facility 3 times but it always came back with the comment "Couldn't replicate issue" although the issue was clearly documented and reproducible by me and the Apple support staff.
After a lot of phone calls, email back and forth, the manager of my local Apple Store said there's nothing they can do about it, the only option that I have left is to trade-in the defective device to get a gift card and then use it to buy a new iPhone 11. Since I need a iPhone for my job (software-testing), that's what I did. I was tired to fight for my right to get a replacement device or a repair.
It's completely ridiculous. Apple's "warranty" is basically useless. But somehow they can get away with it.