righttorepair Canadian tech reseller Geep caught "reusing" recycled iPhones

[Trik'Stari]

2 minutes ago, Kilrah said:

Similar things are actually not uncommon in some places. In France for example where you have quite a big auto industry when things get rough, people don't buy as many cars and big number of auto manufacturer jobs are on the line subsidies are put in place where you can get a few thousands of cashback for replacing your old car with a new one, the condition being that the old one is destroyed so it doesn't end up on the used market. 

 

The difference being that this is used when the alternative would be closing factories and firing large amounts of people, while Apple pretty certainly could do very well without that but just want an added bonus.

So you kill one industry to save another? That sounds like government thinking.

 

I'd elaborate my reasoning further, but I don't want to derail the thread.

[Kilrah]

6 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said:

So you kill one industry to save another? That sounds like government thinking.

You harm a small one run by a few individuals to save the big one, yeah... and it is, of course.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, svmlegacy said:

While I can appreciate the value of a warranty, I'm looking at it from a consumer and environmental point of view. Most people who buy used phones understand they are on an as-is basis, and there's obviously a market for it.

Apple have a separate official refurbishment program, and they have their standard 1/2/3 year warranty on them - Apple has to provide support for these phones, and people expect Apple to do so.

[Blademaster91]

1 hour ago, Kisai said:

It's not, but you can't have old devices floating around with your brand on it that have been improperly repaired and catching fire, which is the entire concern Apple has about not letting third parties repair their devices, never mind security issues that can arise.

I've heard of quite a few instances of Apple improperly repairing devices, I'd trust a third party repair service over Apple's own repairs because a reseller or third party actually has to repair stuff decently in order to stay in business, Apple can just repair it well enough to work for a few months so you're back in the store so they push you into buying a new device.

1 hour ago, Kisai said:

My opinion, really, is that smartphone hardware is a bit over-engineered, but the software isn't (at least on Androids), and the fact that Samsung or Google won't stand behind their own products for 7 years is really disappointing (As far as vehicles go, Kia (Hyundai) has 5-7 years, American cars like Ford have 3, and some luxury brands are 4.) Apple's phones and computers last about as long as a good car, where as Samsung and Google's don't last even as long as a luxury car.

I see way more 5-7 year old Fords than I do Kia's or Hyundai's, but I guess it depends on where you live.

Apple phones can maybe last 5-7 years, though most people will replace their iphone every year, Apple's computers are like a BMW,  engineered in the most awful way so it'll break down within 3 years and it will cost more than it's worth to repair.

[Kisai]

47 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said:

I think they should force phone manufacturers to make parts available for sale for a given number of years. IIRC they do that for car manufacturers. What's the difference, really?

Really, some mandated user-serviceability should be required of anything with a battery in it. If it ruins a devices' water resistance, then maybe the manufacturer should stop gluing devices together and design replaceable gaskets.

 

47 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said:

Take your example. That car manufacturer probably released a parts kit to repair the fuel system, as well as make it tolerate modern gas standards.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Canada_lawsuit

Shell would have paid for repairs, but, the car got traded in by that point the class-action lawsuit was completed.

 

47 minutes ago, Trik'Stari said:

Interesting, because I live on the East Coast and Honda's are ridiculously expensive even used, because of how reliable they are. GM and Ford are popular, but I can't stand GM for the electrical issues.

Yeah, Asian cars tend to be mechanically superior to American cars, but the bodies of the cars without undercoating and special anti-corrosion treatments just fall apart super quick in places that get snow and salt their roads. Undercoatings can cost 10% the value of the car (Honda has an "Apperance Protection Plan" just for this, separate from the Extended Warranty.) American cars sold in Canada, or states near Canada generally have them because 1/4 of the US roads and half the population gets snow at some point in the year, where as nearly all of Canada gets snow, or conditions cold enough for the salt trucks to come out. Like the thing that's been "common knowledge" here is that you don't buy an asian car without factory undercoating otherwise it won't even last past the life of the extended warranty.

 

But I digress, in some ways I feel that manufacturers really should be responsible for the full lifespan of their devices, cradle-to-grave, and if they want to be absolved of dealing with it, they should either allow third party repairs, or make the end-user able to do their own repairs, and can not do anything to prevent that. Likewise government regulations need to exist to ensure that manufacturers take back everything they sell, at their cost, if they are unwilling to repair it.

 

[SLC_Jabberwocky]

3 hours ago, pythonmegapixel said:

autocorrect mistake?

Oops, yeah sorry, fixed it!

[svmlegacy]

Meanwhile I'm still tottering along in a 17 year old Acura, in the rust-belt. Maintence and care go a long way, and repair is much more friendly than buying new repeatedly.