Pathetic Service from Apple

I bought an iPhone 6 Plus Space Grey 64GB towards the end of 2015, Part Number MGAH2AA/ATEL, Serial number SFK2P17P4G5QV ********** ********** 9. In June this year, the phone was hit by the “TOUCH DISEASE” where the touch screen stopped being responsive and the top of the screen would flicker with a gray/white color. The phone has no dents or scratches.

Being an avid Apple enthusiast and an Engineer, I researched on this fault and was disappointed to find out that this was a well-known factory defect that affected the iPhone 6 Plus. I was however encouraged to see that Apple had pro-actively issued a repair program as per this link: https://www.apple.com/support/iphone6plus-multitouch/

With this knowledge, I went to my nearest iStore (iStore Eastgate, Shop U41 Eastgate Shopping Mall, Johannesburg, South Africa) where the unit was assessed to confirm the fault and subsequently booked in for Technical Assessment; Repair Number: EG49389, Date Received: 24 June 2017. I was shocked a few days later to receive a Repair Quotation Number R291870 where I was supposed to pay ZAR 6 200. Now I have been an avid Apple supporter and enthusiast since the days of Steve Jobs and I never imagined a day would come when I would feel violated by a supposedly great company such as Apple.

My business was at a complete standstill because my primary communication tool packed up on me due to a known and acknowledged design/factory fault and the "great" company Apple wanted to ****** money from me despite having publicly launched a repair program for this particular fault.

Fast forward to last month, I bit my tongue and paid for the Apple Quotation. Apple gave me what they claimed was a new replacement unit but it came just in a plastic and no box or anything to show it was new. Needless to say, the same fault has now started again on this supposedly new replacement unit and I am once again held at ransom by this company product whose quality leaves a lot to be desired.

So what is Apple going to do now? Charge me again? Give me another unit that is going to pack up again in a month's time? Ignore me completely as did the Apple CEO, Tim Cook when I sent him an email to inform him how I was being ******ed by his company?

I am not holding my breath and from now on I shall be campaigning to everyone that I know to stay away from Apple and rather go for their main rival SAMSUNG.