Bent iPhone

On Thursday, 22 November 2018 I took my iPhone to Canal Walk to have the battery replaced at my cost. This process was fairly quick and it was ready for collection the following Thursday (I collected on Friday). Compliments for this.

On returning home and putting its cover back on, I immediately noticed that the phone wobbled and the cover bowed a little. After removing the phone, I noticed that it was bent along one side.

I returned to Canal Walk on Sunday, but Jario was unable to check immediately due to load shedding. I returned later (but without the phone) and he was able to load the data, saying there was mention of dents and scratches on the initial report and he wanted to see the phone again to check whether they had meant 'bend' when the report said 'dents'. I was a bit confused by this, but I fetched the phone from my car. On returning, he looked at the phone, then showed me a field on the form which had "UNIT IS SLIGHTLY BENT" right at the end (an editable field, mind you. I was able to type in it). Why did he send me to fetch my phone again if the form already said 'bent' and why did he say it only said 'dents and scratches' before?

When I said that the gentleman who accepted the phone at Canal Walk had noted every mark and scratch, but had not noted that it was bent, Jario said that while they are supposed to check devices on receipt at the iStore, the V&A branch makes the final assessment of the state of the phone (as if what the person who receives and checks the phone in the presence of the customer doesn't really matter).

I suggested then that something must have happened to the phone between Canal Walk and V&A, but he dismissed this.

I noticed almost immediately on returning home that the phone was bent, so the gentleman who received and carefully inspected the phone in front of me would have, too. Also, I had the phone in the same cover and it did not bow the cover like it does now.

I compare this to taking your car for a service. The agent MUST check the device thoroughly in the presence of the customer (which he did and did not find it bent). Any damage the workshop later notices must then logically have occurred after the handover -- otherwise what is the point of checking the device on receipt? You cannot then claim that the initial agent hadn't checked it thouroughly enough!

My phone was not bent when I took it to the iStore and I want it fixed, please!