u/orangecateyes

Back in October 2025, I purchased an iPhone 17 Pro Max directly from the Apple Store. Less than a year later it started having charging issues. Apple first reset the phone. The issue came back. I went back again and they replaced the charging port. The issue came back again. Eventually, Apple customer care replaced the entire device.

The replacement process has been an absolute mess from the start. I later found out that the replacement may have been initiated incorrectly, which honestly explains a lot, but still, not my problem!

I was supposed to receive return instructions and have the original device collected through DHL. That never happened. I’ve spent the better part of the last month calling Apple almost daily trying to return THEIR phone before I got charged for it.

Every person told me something different. One representative was so rude and aggressive that I ended the call, and she repeatedly called me back afterwards despite me saying I no longer wanted to continue the conversation, it was borderline harassment. Another representative took ownership of my case and then completely disappeared and stopped replying to emails.

At one point I spent almost two hours on the phone, including 45 minutes waiting for a senior manager, only for the call to disconnect shortly after I was transferred. Nobody called me back.

I eventually escalated the issue to Apple’s Executive Office as my last resort. To be fair, the Executive Liaison assigned to my case has actually been professional and has kept me updated. The problem is that it’s now been almost FOUR WEEKS since I received the replacement phone and nobody has collected the original device. Every update I get is essentially that they’re still trying to get DHL to contact me.

Today I received an email saying I’ve been billed.

I’ve literally spent a month trying to return this phone. The device has been sitting safely at home waiting to be collected this entire time. I’ve had to block my own credit card because I refuse to be charged thousands of dollars for a phone I’ve repeatedly tried to return.

And then, just to make things even more ridiculous, Apple releases an update acknowledging charging issues affecting some iPhone 17 models.

At this point I genuinely don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. All I wanted was to buy myself a new phone that I had saved up for, and somehow it turned into this month-long nightmare. It’s been incredibly frustrating and has caused me a lot of stress, including financially. At this point, I am stressed, exhausted, and don’t know what to do anymore. I guess I’m looking for help or advice on how to proceed.

Back in October 2025, I purchased an iPhone 17 Pro Max directly from the Apple Store. Less than a year later it started having charging issues. Apple first reset the phone. The issue came back. I went back again and they replaced the charging port. The issue came back again. Eventually, Apple customer care replaced the entire device.

The replacement process has been an absolute mess from the start. I later found out that the replacement may have been initiated incorrectly, which honestly explains a lot, but still, not my problem!

I was supposed to receive return instructions and have the original device collected through DHL. That never happened. I’ve spent the better part of the last month calling Apple almost daily trying to return THEIR phone before I got charged for it.

Every person told me something different. One representative was so rude and aggressive that I ended the call, and she repeatedly called me back afterwards despite me saying I no longer wanted to continue the conversation, it was borderline harassment. Another representative took ownership of my case and then completely disappeared and stopped replying to emails.

At one point I spent almost two hours on the phone, including 45 minutes waiting for a senior manager, only for the call to disconnect shortly after I was transferred. Nobody called me back.

I eventually escalated the issue to Apple’s Executive Office as my last resort. To be fair, the Executive Liaison assigned to my case has actually been professional and has kept me updated. The problem is that it’s now been almost FOUR WEEKS since I received the replacement phone and nobody has collected the original device. Every update I get is essentially that they’re still trying to get DHL to contact me.

Today I received an email saying I’ve been billed.

I’ve literally spent a month trying to return this phone. The device has been sitting safely at home waiting to be collected this entire time. I’ve had to block my own credit card because I refuse to be charged thousands of dollars for a phone I’ve repeatedly tried to return.

And then, just to make things even more ridiculous, Apple releases an update acknowledging charging issues affecting some iPhone 17 models.

At this point I genuinely don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. All I wanted was to buy myself a new phone that I had saved up for, and somehow it turned into this month-long nightmare. It’s been incredibly frustrating and has caused me a lot of stress, including financially. At this point, I am stressed, exhausted, and don’t know what to do anymore. I guess I’m looking for help or advice on how to proceed.

I don’t even know what flair to pick because I am just done and exhausted here.

Back in October 2025, I purchased an iPhone 17 Pro Max directly from the Apple Store. Less than a year later it started having charging issues. Apple first reset the phone. The issue came back. I went back again and they replaced the charging port. The issue came back again. Eventually, Apple customer care replaced the entire device.

The replacement process has been an absolute mess from the start. I later found out that the replacement may have been initiated incorrectly, which honestly explains a lot, but still, not my problem!

I was supposed to receive return instructions and have the original device collected through DHL. That never happened. I’ve spent the better part of the last month calling Apple almost daily trying to return THEIR phone before I got charged for it.

Every person told me something different. One representative was so rude and aggressive that I ended the call, and she repeatedly called me back afterwards despite me saying I no longer wanted to continue the conversation, it was borderline harassment. Another representative took ownership of my case and then completely disappeared and stopped replying to emails.

At one point I spent almost two hours on the phone, including 45 minutes waiting for a senior manager, only for the call to disconnect shortly after I was transferred. Nobody called me back.

I eventually escalated the issue to Apple’s Executive Office as my last resort. To be fair, the Executive Liaison assigned to my case has actually been professional and has kept me updated. The problem is that it’s now been almost FOUR WEEKS since I received the replacement phone and nobody has collected the original device. Every update I get is essentially that they’re still trying to get DHL to contact me.

Today I received an email saying I’ve been billed.

I’ve literally spent a month trying to return this phone. The device has been sitting safely at home waiting to be collected this entire time. I’ve had to block my own credit card because I refuse to be charged thousands of dollars for a phone I’ve repeatedly tried to return.

And then, just to make things even more ridiculous, Apple releases an update acknowledging charging issues affecting some iPhone 17 models.

At this point I genuinely don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. All I wanted was to buy myself a new phone that I had saved up for, and somehow it turned into this month-long nightmare. It’s been incredibly frustrating and has caused me a lot of stress, including financially. At this point, I am stressed, exhausted, and don’t know what to do anymore. I guess I’m looking for help or advice on how to proceed.