BEWARE of buying an APPLE watch. You cannot swim with it!!!

I came in to the Eastgate iStore today hoping you could fix my watch and it was a simple issue that involved a reset.

I went swimming with my Apple Watch yesterday (01/02). I put it into water lock mode by setting the workout to swim and swam 10 laps. At the end of my workout I wanted to end the workout so once I was out the water I turned the dial to unlock it. I was surprised not to hear the sound it usually makes to clear the water. The touch screen seemed strangely slow to respond but I didn’t think much of it. 20 minutes later the screen had gone blank but haptics were still working. I tried to restart it and it wouldn’t restart.

I went today (02/02) to try and get it repaired. The lady who assisted me at service was helpful and told me they would take it in so a technician could take a look at it. I then got an email with a quotation for a completely new device.

I think it’s very irresponsible as a company to advertise a device as up to 50m waterproof when it cannot even handle 10 laps in a pool. I furthermore think it’s unfair to expect a consumer to replace a device that did not meet the standards advertised.

More so, in a world with strained mineral resources under environmental strain, I think the model Apple has of replace over repair is deeply damaging and puts profits over ethics.

I believe my rights as a consumer have been violated and I am deeply disappointed in your company. I will not be paying for the replacement and I am considering taking further action.