Ask LH: Can My iPhone 5 Be Fixed Under Warranty?

Hey Lifehacker, I purchased an iPhone 5 when it came out in Australia on a Telstra plan back in 2012. Unfortunately, something seems to be off with the charging contacts (perhaps they’ve been eroded away) now because whenever I connect my Lightning cable, I need to wiggle it around and get it just so in order to get a charge going. I’m worried that the problem will continue to get worse so I was wondering if there was some king of statutory warranty I could hold Apple or Telstra to in order to have my iPhone fixed? Thanks, Uncharged

Dear Uncharged,

If you purchased the phone on contract, you’re definitely in luck. The iPhone 5 came out in September 2012, and Telstra only sold it on a 24-month contract — which means the earliest the contract will expire is in September this year. Telstra signed an agreement with the ACCC to offer warranty support on contract phones for the life of the contract back in 2010. While that deal didn’t apply to Apple phones at the time, subsequent harmonisation of consumer laws means that it’s now broadly accepted that those arrangements apply across the board.

So your first point of contact as a contract customer should be Telstra. Given that the issue relates to a basic function of the phone, asking for a repair or replacement isn’t unreasonable.

If you purchased the phone outright and have a separate plan, you can pursue the issue with Apple directly. See our detailed guide to how to request a warranty repair from Apple for details on how to approach that.

Bottom line? A two-year contract iPhone can easily cost you $2000 or more. At those prices, you’re entitled to a functioning device for the life of the contract. So be polite, but don’t be fobbed off.

Cheers
Lifehacker

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